The Lyrics to Love
by Miki-hime
Summary: From the dock scene to the loving kitchen kiss. A collection of 60 vignettes explaining how the left field coupling of Sawyer and Juliet came to be.
1. Swallowed in the Sea

Hey! This is my first _Lost_ fan fiction ever, but I've been a devout fan of the series since it first came out. I write other fanfiction for other fandoms under another name, but as I am older now, I decided to try something new. I thought I would try my had at some JULES (James x Juliet, since I refuse to call it Suliet) fanfiction. I think it will be roughly 45-50 short vigettes of Sawyer and Juliet's years in Dharmaville with my own personal interpretation of how the couple came to be. Each chapter will be inspired by one of my favorite songs. Enjoy!

Swallowed in the Sea

Two weeks.

Juliet sighed as the water skimmed over her toes. Two weeks...and then what? She really hadn't thought that far ahead. Sawyer, all jokes aside, had been right about something after all: she had nowhere left to go. She felt like screaming.

Her feet seemed to move on their own accord bringing her closer and closer to the deep end. The water was gentle and coaxing, pushing her further and further away from her personal hell. She knew she shouldn't be doing this and that she should turn back, but she didn't want to. Something within her knew, that if she stepped foot on the island, she would never leave.

Midriff barely above the water, she continued. It was nice, she thought, to finally have control over something, to be free to finally make her own decision. The men in her life had never allowed her to do much of anything. She was an object of fancy to them, nothing more than a pretty face.

She had always wished for something to make everything disappear, yet the answer had always been here, violently crashing against the shore.

Once upon a time, she thought Jack was that something. He was a force within himself, a leader not truly actualized, broken in many more ways than one. Somehow, she had thought, he would rescue her.

But he was no different, and perhaps without realizing it, he had used her too.

The water pushed against her neck, like a chain, pulling her below the surface. She closed her eyes, thinking of the life she could have lived, being with the people she could have loved, seeing Rachael and meeting Julian…

Her foot caught in the underbrush and the waves began to relentlessly consume her body.

"What the hell you doin'?"

Juliet looked up, startled. "Just thinking," she said as she turned back to stare at the alluring waves.

Sawyer looked down at her dubiously. "Ain't nothing to think about Barbie."

She turned her head to stare at him as he sat down next to her, their shoulders almost touching. He knew.

"Just remember, your damn promise."

Her body suddenly felt heavier next to his, as though he was anchoring her down. She didn't respond; she only smiled and closed her eyes.

And for the first time in a long time, Juliet truly let herself dream.

* * *

All credit for the song "Swallowed in the sea"_, _my inspiration for this chapter, goes to the awesome band Coldplay! I think next chapter will be from Sawyer's perspective, inspired by the song "You could be happy" by Snow Patrol. Three guesses who he'll be thinking about. Please let me know what you think about this chapter!

Miki-hime

* * *


	2. You Could be Happy

You Could be Happy

Damn.

She had fallen asleep on his shoulder. For once, he had gone out of his way to care, and she had fallen asleep on his damn shoulder.

He had been scaling the shores, looking for a spot he could claim for himself. For the first time in a few days, he was going to allow himself to think about_ her_. Now that the funky time traveling bonanza had finally subsided, he immediately wondered where she could have gone. Was she finally happy now that she was safe, away from this madness?

Yes, he had chosen to be the hero. But now, he was wondering if he had made a mistake. His eyes had scanned her face before he jumped. She wasn't happy.

But he knew, deep down, that she would never be happy with him. He had nothing left to get back to in the "real world." He would have no way of supporting her. And Freckles…well…she would run.

"_You run, I con."_

"_Tiger don't change its stripes."_

Then, perhaps, he had never intended to leave the island at all. It was the only place he had been somebody; the only place that people noticed him, even if he was the _infamous_ snide, wiseass Sawyer. He was _somebody_.

She could…would be happy with the Doc. That's how the story would end, wrapped up nicely. Happy ever freakin' after.

But no matter how much he tried to tell himself that it was over, the he and Freckles would never work, he knew he still loved her. Still wanted her.

And hell if he hadn't wanted her to jump in after him.

He had wanted to sit here alone with those thoughts, not with some equally snarky Barbie doll.

When he had first seen her, sitting on the beach, he had half a mind to leave her there. But something about the way her eyes looked longingly at the ocean alarmed him.

He shook his head at the irony.

_"Trust her? She's one of them!"_

The Doc's hero complex had certainly rubbed off on him, and now Miss Damsel in Distress decided to take advantage of his kindness.

But he supposed that she had been through hell as well, so he'd let it slide for now. Besides, it almost felt…nice, just sitting here like this, without impending danger or crises to solve. He smiled.

Sure, Freckles could be happy. But then again, so could he.

It was nearly an hour later when he pulled her legs out of the water, lifted her body into his arms, and headed back for Dharmaville, her face still pressed against the crook of his neck.

* * *

Hello again! I was bored, and decided to write another one! I love Sawyer so much, and not in that fangirlish way, I love his character and how he's developed. And though I am not a Skater, I have to admit that Kate changed him. So I had to write a chapter semi-devoted to her. All credit for the song "You Could be Happy" goes to Snow Patrol! I think the next one will be inspired by the song "Banana Pancakes" by Jack Johnson. Once again, let me knew what you think!


	3. Banana Pancakes

Banana Pancakes

Something smelled horrible.

Juliet sat up in alarm. Wisps of smoke were curling around her, impairing her vision. She stood up coughing, drew in a big breath and screamed.

"HELP! FIRE! HEL—"

A strong hand covered her mouth and her eyes widened. She was going to die right here. In 19 freakin' 74. But if she was going to die, she thought, she was going to die fighting.

She grabbed her attacker's arm and flung him over her shoulder with as much strength as she could muster.

"OW! JESUS BLONDIE!"

The smoke began to clear, and Sawyer lay on the ground clutching his stomach.

"What are you, Tomb Raider or something?"

Juliet rolled her eyes. "I don't know if that's a compliment or not." She smirked, "Last time, I checked, Tomb Raider was a brunette."

"Don't get picky, Barbie. Now be a_ dear_ and help me up."

Juliet stepped over him and walked into the kitchen. "Did you try to blow up my kitchen, James?"

Sawyer glared from the room and helped himself up. "Well _excuse me_ for trying to make nice. And it ain't your kitchen, Julie."

"What am I doing in your…"

_Oh, _that's right, she thought, she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. How embarrassing.

Her embarrassment didn't show, and instead, she rose her eyebrow. "Did you carry me here?"

He growled. "If you're going to mock me, you can head home while I clean up this mess."

Now she was curious. "What mess?"

She giggled.

The counters were spattered with…something. That same something was in a steaming ball of charcoal over the stove. He had tried to make breakfast?

Cute.

She might as well put him out of his misery.

"Okay," she said, rolling up her sleeves, "I'm going to need eggs, flour, sugar, milk, bananas…and an extra pair of hands."

"Am I supposed to feel honored?" he asked, nevertheless getting what she asked for. "What're we makin' anyways?"

"It's a surprise."

"A surprise, huh Blondie?" he chuckled, "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were apologizing for nearly breakin' my back in my own house."

"Crack three of those," she said, pointing at the eggs.

For once, he truly looked confused. "Crack?"

"You don't know how to crack an egg?" she asked, amused. "Didn't your mother…"

She stopped.

"No," He hissed, "If I remember clearly you read in my file that my father—"

"Give me your hand."

"What, you goin' to kiss it all better?"

She grabbed his hand and placed an egg in it. Then she placed her hand over his hand and helped him crack it. She took a second to marvel at how large his hands were.

"You tryin' to sex me up Martha?"

She had almost forgotten who she was dealing with. "Crack the rest of those, sous chef."

She mixed the flour, milk, and sugar while he cracked the rest of the eggs in silence.

"Sous chef?"

She cracked a smile, while he cracked the eggs. "When you're finished, mash those bananas."

"You're really sending me some mixed signals."

She shook her head. "Don't be crass."

"You going to tell me what we're making?"

"Nope. I figured it'll be worth my while to torture you just a little longer." she said, "Pass me the bananas."

He mumbled something under his breathe, but did as he was told. Juliet combined the ingredients in bowl and placed the frying pan on the stove.

"Never pegged you for the domestic type Barbie," Sawyer said, smirking. "Did you make breakfast for your boyfriend ol' bug eyes?"

Something flashed in Juliet's eyes as she turned and placed the bowl on the counter. It scared Sawyer enough to keep his mouth shut.

"Make your own damn pancakes."

She walked angrily to the door, and yanked it open, with the full intentions of heading "home."

It was raining.

But she never let a little rain stop her.

"I take it you and Praying Mantis weren't very close?"

Juliet closed the door, turned around, and stared at him for a full minute.

Then she started to laugh.

Praying Mantis indeed.

Sawyer, though never one to laugh at his own jokes, smiled as well. "We gonna make those pancakes or what, Martha?"

An hour later, they were finished, and sitting down in Sawyer's dining room.

"Banana pancakes, hm?" Sawyer mused through a mouthful of food, "That's what I was trying to make."

"'Trying' being the operative word."

"Wise-ass." he grumbled.

Silence, then, "James?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." A beat, "And sorry for flipping you over earlier."

"Fine." He placed his fork against his mouth in thought, "Teach me how you work your Martha magic in the kitchen, and we'll call it even."

Juliet shook her head, smiling. "I don't know how much you can learn in 13 days, James. Judging by that charcoal mess in the kitchen, I can make a good guess."

He shrugged, ignoring her slight." Seeing as Dharmaville's boring as hell, you ain't got nothin' to lose, Martha."

Juliet could feel herself relenting. She blamed it on those damned dimples. "Alright." She said, sighing. Lifting her head to look him right in the eyes she added, "But don't call me Martha."

* * *

Hey again! I just can't stop writing for some reason, so here's yet another chapter, which is much longer than I expected! I was thinking that I might do 75 chapters if I feel up to it. It should be enough to cover the 3 years. Credit for the song "Banana Pancakes" goes to Jack Johnson of course! The next chapter will be inspired by the song "Disturbia" by Rihanna, which is not really a favorite song of mine, but seemed to fit the theme I was thinking of for next chapter. Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Until next time!

Miki-hime


	4. Disturbia

Disturbia

"Juliet?"

Her eyes shot open suddenly. No. She knew that voice, but it just couldn't be who she thought it was.

"Ben?"

She closed her eyes tightly, counted to ten and opened her eyes again, hoping to make it all disappear.

When she opened her eyes, he was still there. "No," she whispered, "you can't be here, right now. It's impossible."

He shrugged his shoulders as he sat up straighter on the foot of her bed. "You've been on this Island for three years. You should know that nothing's really impossible here."

Juliet pressed her back against the headboard and held her face in her hands.

"What do you want from me, Ben? Haven't you done enough?"

He raised an eyebrow. "After everything I've done for you, you're still the same ungrateful woman." He picked imaginary lint off his clothes, "I just never imagined you'd move on so quickly."

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I have no idea what you're talking about. And I'd really appreciate it if you would get out of my room."

"I'm talking about you and James. You just couldn't help yourself could you?"

Juliet stared at him, and if she wasn't so frightened, she would have found the situation laughable. "James? I knew you had a wry sense of humor, Ben, but you're way off the mark. He and I couldn't be more different." She paused for a moment, thinking something over, "And I don't see how it's really any of your business."

Her eyes widened as she watched as his fingers grip her bedspread. She tried to move back further, but soon realized she could move no further.

Noticing this, Ben looked imploringly at her. "You think, just because you're in 1974 that you're free?"

She shook her head slightly, eyes shifting from the open bedroom door and back, contemplating her escape.

"You've clearly forgotten what I'm capable of, Juliet." Ben continued, inching closer. "You're mine and, wherever you are, I will always find you."

Suddenly, her fear was gone. "You're pathetic, Ben." she said, looking into his eyes defiantly, "You're pathetic, and I hate you. You're a monster."

Breathing deeply, she continued, "I'm not scared of you. I know you're in my head, that you can't actually hurt me. Why don't you do us both a favor and disappear?"

His smile fell slightly. "Well I'm sorry you feel that way, Juliet." his finger traced circles around her knee as he spoke, sending cold chills down her spine. "But," he whispered as his fingers traced the line her thigh up to her hip bone, "you're wrong."

Before she could even blink, his fingers closed tightly against her neck choking her. Her eyes widened as she gasped for air and flailed frantically and helplessly at her attacker, who was finding enjoyment in her painful struggle.

Just as her vision was beginning to get hazy, he loosened his hold on her neck so that he was pushing her body lightly onto the mattress.

As she coughed and spluttered beneath his grip, he dipped his head slightly and pressed his mouth against her ear.

"No matter where you go," he whispered, "I'll find you. You'll never be free, Juliet."

She screamed.

Gasping, Juliet woke up surrounded by darkness.

She sat up in bed and pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to reorient herself with reality. But how she could do that, she wondered, when the illusion had seemed so real. She knew that no matter how much she hated Ben, he and that _thing_ were not one and the same.

Because though Ben found ways to wound her in the past, he would never directly do anything to physically harm her. He was under the impression that he loved her.

Juliet wasn't foolish enough to shrug it off. She had lived on the island for over three years and had never once had a nightmare regardless of the inner turmoil she was feeling at being held captive. Yes, her dream meant _something._

She just wasn't sure what.

But there was one thing she was damn certain about: there was no why in hell she was sleeping in that bed tonight.

It wasn't until Juliet walked out of her house, rain pouring relentlessly onto her body, that she realized just how idiotic her plan had been.

She surmised that she had two options: turn back or find someone that would take her in for the night. Making her decision quickly, she turned around, ran up the steps….

... and knocked.

She doubted he would answer. He didn't owe her any kindness, or have any debt to repay to her. When he failed to answer, she would try somewhere else. The logical side of her mind was telling her that it didn't matter one way or another.

But she knew, deep down, that she _wanted_ him to answer, to be the one to make the pain and confusion go away if even for just an instant.

So when the door finally did open, and he stood there flummoxed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"There better be a damn good reason for you raisin' hell at this time at—" he stopped as his eyes focused on her neck. His fingers reached out to lightly graze the bruises that were forming. "Who did this?"

She didn't answer, she only placed her fingers where the ghost of his touch remained and winced. "I—" she whispered, trying the digest the surreality of the situation, "I don't know, James. Something is after me."

He paused for a moment, staring at her. Then, he stepped aside.

"Come on in."

She stared back too, not quite believing her ears, before stepping slowly over the threshold, and into his house.

He closed the door behind her and sighed. "I guess that means I'm sleeping on the couch again tonight," he said as he turned to walk toward the couch.

Before Juliet she realized what she was doing, she reached out and grabbed his arm. He looked back at her, surprised.

"Don't," she whispered. "It's a big bed, we can both fit."

She waited expectantly for him to add some insensitive jibe, something to make her hate herself for openly displaying her vulnerability and trusting him so easily. But he only nodded and led the way to the bedroom.

And as she laid down and closed her eyes, she didn't once think about the threat evil lurking around the corner. She only marveled at the realization that, next to this almost stranger, she felt completely and utterly safe.

* * *

Hey, guys! Here's another chapter in the chronicle of Sawyer and Juliet! This one is set the same day as "Banana Pancakes". Not all the stories will be so close together, but I wanted to really show their interaction in the initial days of their three years. This one was darker than I intended, but I like how it turned out just the same. Credit for the song "Disturbia" goes to Rihanna. I think the next chapter will either be inspired by the song "You Found Me" by the Fray or "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles, and will most likely be a little shorter than this chapter. Let me know what you think!!

Miki-hime


	5. You Found Me

You Found Me

Sawyer had never been one to make friends. Enemies, he made plenty of. But he had never really seen the point in friendship. It had always seemed to him to be a fickle Bitch. People, he had learned, were not naturally kind beings; they were selfish and cruel and not to be trusted.

In his younger years, he was viewed as the cool, yet scary kid who appeared not to care about what others thought about him. Other kids admired him for his audacity and outlandish confidence. In return, he ignored them and thought them fools for not realizing that admiration was indeed the farthest one could get from understanding.

He could have been the classic "Rebel without a cause" if he had finished high school. But Sawyer was not without cause; he had a purpose and a heart set out for revenge. There was no time for childish antics when his parents' "murderer" was still roaming the streets, but there was plenty of time for sex and false romances, for swindlin' and drinking, and the slow destruction of his morality.

Sawyer took a long swig from his can of Dharma beer as he sat upon his porch, feeling slightly content. Here, in Dharmaville, he was nobody. There was no reputation to precede him, no mess left behind to clean up. There was nothing left to do but sit back and watch the sun rise and fall until their two weeks were up.

He watched as a woman, Lily, stepped into a Dharma Van and drove off to a destination unknown. His eyes then traveled to a man, David, heading off to help build one of the new houses for new recruits. David, he discovered, had an embarrassing crush on Lily who was currently shacking up with George.

In this fashion, he would often spend his afternoons, waiting for the newest chapter in the Dharma drama to unfold. Yesterday, Lily had slapped George after he made a rather rude remark about how close she and George had gotten. They hadn't spoken to each other since and Sawyer was starting to get bored. He almost wanted to go up to them and tell them to keep the plot moving, dammit.

But he never did. He knew their names, had memorized their interactions to a science, and watched them at the same time every day, unnoticed. He could easily make friends with them if he tried, of that he was aware. But they didn't know who he really was, and he preferred to keep it that way. He knew he would always be admired or hated, never liked.

"If I didn't know better," a voice said, tinged with amusement, "I would say you are becoming quite the stalker, James."

Sawyer wanted to wipe that silly smirk of her face. "And if I didn't know better, " he hissed, "I would tell you to mind you own damn business, Barbie."

Juliet sat down without an invitation. "But you do know better, James. Because if you did, you know I'd just flip you over my shoulder again, and I don't know about you, but that concrete doesn't look to inviting, does it?"

Remembering the incident sent a sharp ghost pain down his back. "Dammit, Cammy, you ain't never gonna let that one go are you?"

She smiled and Sawyer felt his initial irritation melt away. "What're you doing here anyway? I thought you said you were going to try to convince Confucius to get some fresh air."

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Daniel won't open his door. I knocked and knocked for hours and he didn't respond, so I left some food at his door. Miles said he'd try to talk some sense into him."

Sawyer shook his head. "It would be best to leave him alone, Sunshine."

She quirked an eyebrow at the nickname, but he continued. "Man's been through a rough couple of days. He needs to be left alone to think."

Juliet turned to face him, knowingly. "It must be rough, losing the one you love."

It wasn't pity in her eyes, he realized, but a deep understanding. She was suddenly having an odd effect on him and he was beginning to feel nervous in her presence.

"Well," he said at last. "I'm sure I—I'm sure _he'll_ get over it soon."

"Mmhmm," she murmured, wryly.

Suddenly, the spell was lifted, and she was back to being the same familiar smart ass. And his irritability was back full force.

"Don't think you know me. Don't think that you _understand_ me," he growled, narrowing his eyes at her. "You don't know a thing about—"

"James Ford, age 35. Occupation: con-artist. Your mother was shot by your father after he discovered she was cheating on him. You dropped out of the ninth grade and soon became the man you were hunting, romancing gullible women into falling for your schemes. You thought you found your parent's murderer and killed an innocent man the night before you got on the plane. On the island, you fell in love with Kate Austin—"

He grabbed her arm before he could stop himself. "You shut _up_, girlie."

She wrenched her arm out of his hand as her eyes flashed angrily. "Grow up, James!" she yelled. "I know what you've done, the pain you've caused, how you just _love_ to torture yourself. Your conditions don't define who you are, James. You do. If you want to keep telling yourself how pathetic your life is, go ahead. You can spend your days watching people, or you can actually make the effort and talk to them.

"I may not know you, James. But I know I saw you jump out of that helicopter. And you're not as selfish as you want people to believe."

"Well, that was a nice monologue. Now are you going to pity me, and take me under your wing so I can see the error of my ways?"

She looked confused as she continued. "I don't pity you James. Even though you are so insufferable most of the time, I _respect_ you enough to tell you when you're being ridiculous."

When he remained silent, she started to get up, but was shocked when she felt his hand on her shoulder, gently easing her back down to the porch. "You think David'll finally get the courage to tell her how he feels."

The ghost of his touch lingered on her shoulder, making a little heat rise to her cheeks. "I think she already knows. You could always ask Betty, Miss Dharma gossip, when you've got the time. She knows everything about everybody and seems to have quite the crush on you," she teased.

"She's ancient," he said with a shudder.

"I think she would prefer _experienced_."

"You're sick."

She raised an eyebrow, "You're the one with your mind in the gutter, James."

He sent her a glare and she shoved him lightly. They sat there, on his front porch and time seemed to escape them as they sat and theorized about the secret lives of the Dharma Initiative members.

Sawyer had remained on the porch after Juliet had left and gone home, thinking of the day's events. Sure, he'd never been one to make friends, but that didn't mean he couldn't start. And heaven help him, one had already caught him unawares and wormed her way into his life.

She had looked past the murdering, con-man, and unearthed a foreign emotion. He_ trusted_ her, for reasons he couldn't begin to fathom. And for once, he decided not to question it and let it be.

_You better get used to me,__ Sawyer thought wryly, __because you're_ the _closest thing I've got to a friend_, _Doc_.

* * *

Miki-hime here! I lied about the length :) I just couldn't help myself.

Due to popular demand, I decided to use the song "You Found Me" by the Fray as my inspiration, as opposed to "Paperback Writer", which I might save for later or scrap that all together. I have all the songs I'm writing planned out and am very excited about writing this story! Right now, I have 100 songs, which I feel is my limit. I'll try to update as much as possible! The chapters are more episodic in nature and may relate to other chapters, as you've seen. I plan to break it up into years, so the first 30 or so stories will occur within the first year, the next 30 within the second year, and the last 30 or so in the last year before the episode "La Fleur".

If you have any song suggestions though, feel free to mention them. If you notice, I am just inspired by the song, but don't follow the lyrics faithfully. The song is really about a man who meets god on a street corner and asks him why he didn't step in when his walls were crashing down. In this story though, I decided to make Juliet the voice of reason rather than someone Sawyer vents his anger on. Next chapter will either be inspired by the song "Ben" by Michael Jackson or "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Ben Harper. I'll let you decide. I really hope you liked this installment! Do you want another dose of Ben (but I won't tell you which one young or old) or do you want a little more fun? Both will be written eventually, but the one chosen will come first. Let me know what you think!

Miki-Hime

P.S: For those who don't know, Cammy (Sawyer's nickname for Juliet) is a hardcore blond character from the street fighter games and movies. She's pretty awesome from what I remember.


	6. Dance Me to the End of Love

Dance Me to the End of Love

Sawyer lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. After nearly four months of sleeping on the hard ground, Sawyer thought that having a warm bed of his own would be heaven. He never thought he would miss living out in the wild, experiencing nature. This house, this stuffy, boring house, was more of a prison than an asylum.

He turned onto his side and decided to stare at the pale yellow wall instead. So far, his short stay in Dharmaville had proved uneventful. When Richard had shown up in all his eyelined glory, it had seemed promising. Perhaps, he thought, being in this place would shed some light on the damned mysterious heart of darkness.

However, this had clearly not been the case. It just so happened that, as an outsider, he wasn't privy to such information. Sure, they didn't shun him as he had expected, but they were extremely wary of him. It was like a repeat of his first two weeks on the island. So much for a fresh start.

Sawyer growled in frustration. It wasn't like he wanted the damned smoke monster to wreak some havoc—he just wanted something to do. He wasn't accustomed to just standing around idle.

One would think, that after an uneventful day, he would be able to simply lay down and go to sleep. Negative. For whatever reason, it seemed to take him hours to sleep, and each night his insomnia lasted a little longer than the last. Inexplicably, there had been one exception: the night Juliet had arrived on his doorstep terrified and dripping wet.

That night, he had decided to resort to counting sheep, a method that served him unfailingly as a child. Usually, he was able to fall asleep as soon as he reached 200. He was well over 1000 when he heard her knocking.

The image of her, standing there, like a glass doll, eyes pleading, was fresh in his mind. It was incredibly disconcerting. He had seen her threatened, angry, smug, content, and confused, but he had never seen her truly terrified about anything, even in midst of all the crazy happenings on the islands. That foreign expression coupled with the dark bruises on her neck struck a chord with him somewhere.

He knew he should have said something, anything more to comfort her. It was in his nature to demand answers, and get to the root of the problem. But he couldn't say anything more with her looking so fragile. She looked like she could shatter at any moment.

That night, he had slept near a woman rather than _with_ a woman for the first time since his mother had been alive. It had been nice, just being able to sleep, not having to fulfill any expectations or whisper some hurried excuse before running off. He had fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow.

When he woke up, his arm was draped lightly over her side, her back inches away from his chest.

It was an odd feeling being friends with a woman, he had thought as he slowly disentangled himself from her sleeping form. Though it was entirely new to him, he was entirely sure that friendship shouldn't cause such a strange sensation in his chest.

He decided to blame it on hunger.

That morning, she had taught him to make an omelet. He had burnt his while pondering how strange it was to have a woman in his kitchen wearing only a nightgown, cooking him breakfast. It had been so surreal that it prompted him to walk into his room and offer her a pair of trousers and a T-shirt, remarking that she must be cold.

She had looked at him strangely and complied, going to his room to change. It wasn't until she had closed the door that he realized how stupid his comment had been, considering they were on a tropical island.

He decided to ignore the strange effect she seemed to be having on him, blaming it this time on his previous days of missed sleep. He thought everything would be back to normal soon.

Yet here he was, laying awake, thinking of her when he should be asleep.

_Screw it,_ Sawyer thought as a thin beam of moonlight shone right into his eyes. Some cosmic force was disagreeing with him today and though he was damn sure he wasn't going to win the fight, he could at least close the curtains.

He stood up, grumbling under his breath. His hand stopped midway as his eyes centered on a figure in white, dancing gracefully to some unknown tune. He watched for a few moments, stunned as she twirled and dipped.

It was Juliet.

But what was stranger than seeing her dancing outside at some ungodly hour, was that she wasn't alone. There was someone dancing _with_ her. Someone he knew all too well.

* * *

Juliet was wide awake. She could feel the goosebumps appearing on her arms each passing second. It was only a matter of time, she thought, until _he_ came again. She had spent most of the night thinking of what she could possibly say to him to make him disappear, to no avail. She knew, after three years of captivity on the island, that Ben always did whatever he wanted. And when he wanted something or _someone_, no one could stop him.

So she waited, trying to appear strong and knowing the fear was slowly consuming her.

She had wondered whether she should tell James about the incident, but thought against it. After he had been so kind to let her share his bed, she couldn't impress this problem on him any further. This was her problem, her mess. Getting James involved would cause "Ben" to react. Ben was vicious with out a doubt, but this manifestation seemed to have another motive for taunting her.

"Juliet."

She sighed, resigned to her fate. "Ben," she said, not bothering to sit up to acknowledge his presence.

"Ben?" the voice asked, puzzled.

Juliet sat up quickly, suddenly recognizing the voice. "Jack?" she asked. Her voice sounded oddly strangled. "Is that—is that really you?"

She sat staring at him for a moment, wide eyed and confused. He looked exactly the same, dressed in the same clothes as the day he had walked away and left her behind. A rare smile graced his handsome face, his brown eyes warm and inviting.

She stood up and began to walk toward him slowly, cautiously, afraid that if she walked too fast, he would leave her again. Her arm reached out hesitantly to touch his face. She felt warm skin under her fingertips and opened her eyes in astonishment.

"How?" she asked as she pulled her hand away quickly, her heart suddenly filled with suspicion. "You left this island. I saw the helicopter lift off, and I know you never came back. So why are you here, Jack?"

His hand reached out suddenly to tightly grab her wrist and he pulled her closer. "You know why I'm here, Juliet. I know what you've been avoiding since the day you arrived. You and I both know what you have to do."

"You know how different my life would be if I didn't do what you're asking?"

Jack shook his head, angrily. "Do you know how much is at stake if you don't do it? It may happen another way, Juliet, and in return you will have to pay for not doing what you know you must."

She remained silent for a while, contemplating this. "If I do this, will you never bother me again?"

"I can't promise that."

"Why did you come here as Jack?"

He chuckled. "You tend to listen to those you lo—"

"Don't." She hissed.

"You must do it, Juliet."

She sighed and nodded her head reluctantly. "Could you do something for me in return?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not exactly in the position to be making demands."

"Just give me five minutes. I need five minutes to say goodbye to him."

"You know I'm not him. I'm just a manifestation of your memories, fueled by the island's will. I could never be him."

"You don't have to say anything. Just pretend."

He nodded as her fingers encircled his wrist and led him outside, to the area outside her house. She grabbed his hands and placed them gently on her waist. "Dance with me," she whispered.

He complied as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her ear against his chest, and though his body was warm, there was no heartbeat.

She danced to the tune of her own pain, replaying the feelings of loss and abandonment she had felt in the days of his absence. His rejection had had an effect on her regardless of how much she tried to ignore it. It was hard to have one's heart broken, trying not to wince while piecing the sharp pieces back together. In the end, it would be fixed, but there would be nothing like it once was.

"I loved you, Jack." she confessed aloud. "I didn't just want you to rescue me. I wanted you to love me back. For once, I wanted someone to care about me, selfish as it may be."

She wanted to cry, but she found that no tears would fall and she felt grateful for that. She pressed her ear against his chest, and though his body was warm, there was no heartbeat.

_Fitting, _she thought. _His heart doesn't belong to me, even in memory._

Somehow, Juliet knew her five minutes were almost up. She stared into his eyes, with new resolve. "But I'm ready to move on now. And you're free to do as you wish."

They suddenly stopped dancing and Juliet stepped back to look at him one last time. "Goodbye, Jack."

She closed her eyes and turned around. When she looked back at the spot where she had left him, he was gone.

"Didn't know you felt so strongly about the Doc."

Juliet quickly wiped away any semblance of tears from her eyes and turned to face him. "Didn't know you cared."

"I didn't," he said simply. "But I do now, for some reason."

She raised an eyebrow. "You aren't going to ask what the hell that was?"

"I know you aren't going to _tell_ me what the hell that was."

She smiled. "Would you believe me if I told you it was a manifestation of my memories, sending me a message from the island?"

He hesitated then shrugged. "After what I've seen on this damn island, I've learned to just go with it."

"Good plan."

They remained silent for a moment, each searching for something to say.

"Was that—"

"Would you—"

Juliet laughed and held up a hand. "You first."

"Was that the same thing that was after you before? The one that made you black and blue?" he said, gesturing at the bruises on her neck, still visible under the powder she had applied.

"I believe they are purple, James. I know because I went though the trouble of trying to ask Amy for a matching outfit to—"

"I'm serious."

She didn't doubt his statement, judging from the sudden intense look in his eyes. "Yes, but as a different memory. Before it was masquerading as Ben and tried to strangle me."

"And you danced with it, after all that?"

"Forgive and forget, James."

"Sounds like stupidity to me," he grumbled.

"You say tomato."

Sawyer felt his anger grow, suddenly. "This isn't a joke, Juliet!

She was stunned, not by his anger, but by the fact that he had spoken her name.

"You may not care about what happens to yourself. Fine! But there are people that do care if you go and get yourself killed. So next time you decide to play Ghost Whisperer, you might want to let someone know!"

She responded by closing the distance between then and wrapping her arms around his neck, as she had with "Jack".

"Thank you." she whispered. "Thank you, James, for caring."

"Now hold on a second, I never said—"

"Don't ruin the moment."

He nodded, holding the volatile blond in his arms. "Yes, ma'am."

Sawyer looked up and smirked triumphantly at the powers that be. Sure they had kept him from glorious, precious sleep tonight. But he had finally found the solution, the feeling of warmth and security that could cure a thousand sleepless nights.

* * *

Hey! Sorry it took me so long, but I'm swamped with both scholarship and school work. Unfortunately, updates will slow down to maybe once every 4 days or once a week during this period, but will speed up again in mid-May after exams. This chapter was originally inspired by "Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest, but as I continued to write it, it became less light -hearted and didn't fit the feel of the song. It started to remind me of the cover of "Dance me to the End of Love" by Madeleine Peyroux originally by Leonard Cohen. The song has a deeper meaning than what I decided to write about, seeing as the song is actually about the Holocaust, and how the string Quartets would play while others while horror and chaos evolved around them. "Dance me to the End of Love" in Cohen's interpretation means until the loss of innocence or belief in humanity. He said, on the Mike Walsh Show, that the song could be taken from that angle or as a song about the loss of love.

My take was much more literal as you can see. Juliet has to accept that she must let Jack go if she wishes to move on. I really think she did feel deeply for him, and therefore, this had to be addressed to a larger extent. I think the next chapter will be based on "Ben" by Michael Jackson, in which you may discover what Juliet must do. Or not. I hope you liked it! Tell me what you think and see you next chapter!

Miki-Hime

P.S. For those of you who wanted to know, my penname is not really a reference to the anime Bleach. Miki-hime means "moon princess" in Japanese. One of my friends used to call me that and it stuck :) .


	7. Concrete Angel

Concrete Angel

"No, James, you're doing it all wrong. I thought I told you to fluff the eggs, not whisk them."

Sawyer glared at her, leaning against her kitchen counter casually. "It don't make no difference, Sunshine. It's all going to the same place anyway."

"What a crude way of thinking."

Today marked the sixth session of their cooking lessons, and in the context of those four sessions, Sawyer had managed to find some way to cosmically screw up each of his meals. Juliet was determined to make a difference this time, even if it robbed her of all the patience she had left.

"If it didn't make any difference what it tasted like," she said through lightly masked irritation, "you wouldn't have asked me to teach you how to cook, James."

She didn't know what it was about him today that was grating on her nerves. Usually his antics didn't bother her. On the contrary, they often provided her with some much needed entertainment. Maybe because today was—no the day had long since lost any significance in her mind.

Her eyes returned to his bowl as she sighed and poured its remnants down the sink. "Do it again, but this time, only use the egg whites and be a little gentler when you whisk them, ok?"

He grumbled something under his breath and turned to begin whisking the eggs as he was told. It wasn't until Juliet turned away to grab something out of the refrigerator that she realized what he had said.

_If his goal is to make me angry, _she thought, _he's doing a damn fine job of it._

"Would you care to repeat that statement, James?"

He looked up at her, unblinkingly. "I said that if you're this bossy all the time, it's no secret why the others abandoned you." Upon noticing the cold anger in her eyes, he backtracked, "It's just a joke, lighten up."

_It's not his fault, _she realized, _he doesn't know._

She felt her anger ebb away slowly as she faced him." Sorry, James. Today's just one of those days."

It was then that Sawyer noticed there was something off about Juliet. It had been a while since he had seen it, that veiled desperation. Not since that day at the shore when her eyes had somehow persuaded him to sit beside her.

"Yeah? What kind of day is it?"

She shook her head, "Forget I ever said anything, James. Just pass me the chocolate."

He remained silent and did as he was told, watching her carefully. There was no doubt that he was curious at to what was causing her so much pain. He too knew the impact a single day could have on one's life.

"Could you pass me the whisk?" she asked, hand held out expectantly.

The day he had killed that innocent man in Australia still plagued him. The look in her eyes seemed to mirror the pain he recognized in his own every time he happened to look in the mirror.

Juliet sighed, suddenly agitated. "James, if you're here to learn, you should be paying attention, not zoning out."

Sawyer shook himself out of his stupor. He was probably misinterpreting the look in her eyes for pain, he thought. The look she was giving him now showed anything but. It must have been a trick of the light. His fingers curled slowly around the handle of the whisk and he held it out to her.

As she reached for it, he moved it quickly out of her reach and instead held it above his head.

"James," she said in exasperation, "stop acting so immature and please give it back to me."

"Hm. I'm not so sure I want to do that."

"Well, I'm not sure you want to do what you're doing right now."

"Why?"

"Because I know how to break your arm in seven different places."

Sawyer flinched, but his resolve remained. "But I'm sure you don't want to do that either. Because then you would have to explain to the hippie why you inflicted pain upon you're innocent captain.

She shrugged. "I could easily come up with some explanation. I am a doc—"

She stopped.

"Whatever, James, I'll just use a fork if you insist on being difficult."

Her hand reached for the golden knob, but his body blocked her passage to the silverware drawer.

"Really, what do you think you're doing?" she asked. "I don't really understand what you're trying to prove."

He shrugged. "If you want it, you're gonna have to go through me to get it."

"I'm not going to—just give it to me, James!" she said, as she jumped and swiped at the metal instrument in his hand.

"Good effort. But not good enough, Julie," he said as he shook his head. "And you call yourself an Other?"

Her lips turned upward for a moment, but she covered this with a cough. "Just understand, James, that once you've waged war against me, you can't go back. You've forfeited today's cooking privileges."

"And what the hell are you going to do to me—"

It couldn't have been more than a split second before she had done it, and Sawyer had almost no time at all to react. One moment she had been staring at him in defiance, and the next her hand darted behind him in a fluid motion. Her hand grabbed for the bowl, lifted it above him and poured the entirety of its contents on his head.

Juliet stared at him, face covered in melted chocolate, sputtering and yelling obscenities. The slight upturn of her lips transformed at once into a full-fledged smile, then to loud peals of laughter.

Sawyer used his hand to wipe the chocolate out of his eyes before saying, "That was a bitch move."

Inching slowly away from him, she shook her head smiling. "No, I believe that was a_ Carrie_ move."

He leapt forward and grabbed her suddenly around the waist as she yelped in protest. "Same thing."

Sawyer used one of his hands to wipe a glob of chocolate from his forehead and spread it slowly down her arm, over the crown of her head, and smeared it all over her face.

"Now I think we're even. Only I think I've—"

He was interrupted by a handful of sifted flour she threw in his face. "You called Carrie a bitch. I don't think we'll ever be even."

She had been able to free herself from his grasp and was now contemplating what she could now use for a weapon. Her hand grabbed two small eggs and she quickly walked backwards, throwing them at his chest. They both landed and splattered upon contact. She tried to run away, but this time, Sawyer grabbed the back of her shirt and poured syrup down the curve of her back, causing her to shriek.

She turned around to face him, laughing. "That's a violation of the rules, James."

He pulled her closer to him using the back of her shirt so that his mouth was close to her ear before whispering, "Haven't you ever played this game, sweetheart? There are no rules."

And so, the epic battle ensued. Anyone looking through the kitchen window would have been astounded at the sheer amount of food being thrown from one side of the room to the other, at the two figures fiercely attacking each other, but laughing all the while. To them it would have looked like sheer insanity. But to those involved, it was a way to escape, to enjoy themselves with a kindred spirit, and, of course to have fun.

They lay laughing, staring at the ceiling, which, like the rest of the kitchen, had not escaped the battle unscathed.

"So what's the count on your end?" Sawyer asked, turning towards her.

"20 eggs, a carton of milk, two bags of flour, 3 bags of sugar, 1 box of ice cream, half a bottle of syrup, a carton of orange juice—"

"All right, I get it! You—"

"I what? A little louder, James. I do believe the flour is blocking my ears."

"You beat me, alright. Sheesh. It's no big deal."

She smirked. "Sounds like a case of the fox and the grapes to me."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "You okay now?"

"What are you—"

"Don't pretend that you were all fine and dandy. Something was up with you, and if you don't tell me—"

"Today is the first day I ever killed a woman." She said simply. "She was pregnant and I couldn't save her life."

Sawyer's eyes widened. That hadn't been at all what he'd expected hearing.

"Ben kept me on this island to save the lives of the pregnant women that keep dying on the island. But I couldn't save one. Not a damned one. I failed."

Sawyer couldn't help himself. He laughed.

Juliet stared at him, wide-eyed before standing up, all traces of vulnerability wiped from her face.

"How dare you," was all she said before running into the bathroom and shutting the door.

He stopped laughing and pulled himself up, following her. Somehow, he thought bitterly, he always had a wonderful capacity for ruining the moment.

As he reached the bathroom door, his knuckles hovered next to the door when he heard the sound of running water, before pounding on the door. "Open the door, Juliet."

"Go away, James."

His fingers wrapped around the knob and twisted it. She had left the door open.

"Juliet—"

He stopped.

She stood, bent over, her fingers hooked under the fold of her shirt in an attempt to lift it over her head. Her eyes met his as she turned around and hastily pulled her shirt down to cover her back again. But it was too late. He had already seen it.

Sawyer walked into the room, his eyes flashing with anger. She noticed his approach, but she did nothing to stop him as he grabbed her shirt and lifted it gently to look at her marred skin.

She did nothing as his warm hands gently traced the outline of the mark. Her mind drifted to the moment when she had shown Jack her scar. She remembered how his practiced surgeon fingers had caressed her skin. It was nothing like this. Sawyer was no surgeon, of that she knew for certain, but his fingers…they _felt._ They didn't examine, they weren't detached. She didn't even have to look at him to know what he was feeling, the touch of his fingers were all she needed.

"I used to think you were just as cold-hearted as the rest of them, Juliet." He said, his voice soft, but determined. "Then I thought you were just like me. I thought you had done something horrible to someone and so you felt horrible for that."

His fingers traced the outline around her scar and she felt a pronounced chill down her spine. "But then…then I realized I couldn't be farther from the truth. You've been through hell, but you didn't deserve it. That's why I laughed. How the hell did I ever think you were like me? You, who were baking a damn cake for someone she'd tried to save, when it wasn't even your fault that she died," he said, shaking his head. "You're a goddamned angel, Juliet.

"I'm not going to ask you how you got this scar. I guess I'll just wait for you to tell me. Maybe you'll never tell me." He stopped. "I always know how to screw things up, but never figured out how to pick up the pieces."

If the word sorry had come out of his mouth, Juliet wouldn't have been able to forgive him as easily as she did.

"I'm not an angel, James," she said suddenly. "I killed a man to get this scar. I've done horrible things since I've gotten to this island. Things I'm not proud of."

"I guess that makes you a fallen angel then. Better than me, anyway, and you told me I could have a clean slate. So you've got to stop sleeping with the past."

She raised an eyebrow. "I've got to stop what now?"

"Shut it, " he said, smirking. "I'm trying to let go, Juliet. Now it's your turn."

She nodded slowly, a smile returning to her face. "Can I take a shower now, James?"

"Can I join you?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "You're incorrigible."

He shrugged. "Can't blame me for trying."

She smiled as he turned around and closed the door behind him. But as soon as the door snapped shut, her smile melted from her face. Her eyes watched the running water wistfully as she thought of the lie she had just told.

Sure, the water could wash away the food that was sticking disgustingly to her hair, skin and clothes, but it sure as hell couldn't wash away what she'd done.

* * *

Miki-hime here, and as promised, here's a new chapter. I'm working on scholarships and stuff, so I'll be brief. This chapter is inspired by "Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride, but its mostly the title that inspired me rather than the actual content of the song. Next chapter will finally be about young Ben, and it will be inspired by "Ben" by Michael Jackson, which is one of his early works! Please tell me what you think! See you next week, or perhaps even sooner!

Miki-hime


	8. Foolish Games

Foolish Games

"Well would you look at that! I actually cooked something that didn't cause some kind of disaster in the kitchen," Sawyer said, looking at Juliet triumphantly.

"You've really improved, James," said Juliet, not meeting his eyes.

She had looked at the almost hopeful expression on his face and quickly decided not to tell him how incredibly bland his soup really was. He was progressing as a cook in the sense that he could now boil hot water and chop the ingredients properly, but she was afraid that he lacked in the sensory department.

"So what're we cooking next?"

"James," Juliet said quickly, "You remember our deal, don't you? You said two weeks. It's been 13 days—"

"Yeah? What about it?"

Juliet looked at him, open mouthed for a moment before continuing, "Don't you remember what Horace said?"

When he decided to play dumb and shook his head, she grabbed glasses off the counter and placed them on the bridge of her nose. Then she released her hair from her loose bun and faced him with a serious expression on her face.

"No hard feelings, Lafleur, but you're not exactly Dharma material," she said, trying to imitate Horace's soft but patronizing tone. "You and your crew can stay for two more weeks to look for your people."

"You ain't gonna win an Oscar with that performance," Sawyer said chuckling.

He reached out and removed his glasses from her face, noting the angry expression growing on her face. "I still don't get what your problem is, Sunshine."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she walked toward him. "Don't play dumb, James, it's unbecoming of you. Horace hasn't even mentioned the plans for our departure yet. He was so adamant about us leaving and now he seems inexplicably amiable towards us, you in particular. What the hell is going on, James?"

Suddenly he felt very nervous, and her close proximity didn't help matters. "Well, I—"

There was a sharp knocking on the door and Sawyer thanked whoever was standing on the other side of the door for their amazing timing.

"I better go get that. It could be that the hippie wants to deliver the good news," he lied.

Juliet blocked his path and eyed him suspiciously. "Seeing as this is my house," she said, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him slightly, "I think that I should be answering the door."

She unlatched the door and opened it wide, revealing a smirking Miles.

He looked past her at Sawyer who was making throat-cutting gestures at his own throat and his smirk grew wider, "Is there something wrong with your throat, Sawyer? Or is that gesture supposed to mean something to me?"

"Son-of-a—"

"Language," Juliet said half heartedly to him before turning her attentions back to Miles. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well," he drawled, enjoying every moment of Sawyer's agony, "I just wanted to know if you were aware of the new arrangements."

"You know Miles," Sawyer said suddenly, "I think someone's calling you. You better go find out what they want."

Juliet ignored him. "What arrangements?"

"Well, your trusty boyfriend over there worked his magic and persuaded Horace to let us stay for another two months, provided we don't tell anyone what we've seen, and we pull our weight as much as we can while we're here."

Juliet remained calm, turned toward Sawyer and said, "Is that so, James?"

"Look, Juliet. I just thought we were being really unrealistic about this whole 'leave the island' plan. I did it for the benefit of the group—"

She silenced him with a glare. "You made me a promise, James. You looked me in the eye and _promised_ we would leave in two weeks."

"What're we, two years old? You should know by now that a promise don't mean a damn thing. Quit being so immature about it and just—"

"Get out."

Sawyer looked up at her, surprised. "I'm sure you don't really mean that. I mean, did you really think you could leave the island and start a life somewhere—"

"I said get _out_ James."

"Well now, hold on a second there Lucy! You're bein' completely unreasonable!"

Suddenly, Miles felt more awkward than amused. "I think she said you should get out, Jim."

Sawyer rounded on him, anger flashing in his eyes. "Shut up, Bruce. This don't concern you."

Miles held up his hands defensively and inched away from Juliet's door. "That's the last time I participate in a lover's spat," he said, turning on his heel and walking in the direction of his house. "When you're done making up, I think we really need to discuss what our next plan of action is. 'Cause we can't depend on this hospitality forever."

"Isn't that true James? How long do you really plan on staying here?" asked Juliet as though Miles had interrupted them. "I don't think I'm being unreasonable in thinking we'll have eventually overstayed our welcome. And I'm ready to leave this place as soon as I'm able, which very well may be today—"

"How 'bout we make a little proposition, Juliet?"

She shook her head, ignoring the curiosity that had risen due to his comment. "You already made me a promise once and you broke it. I'm beginning to think you don't believe in upholding your part of the bargain."

He placed his palm on the small of her back and gently pushed her inside the house. His gentle gestures almost caught her off guard and forget her anger. Almost.

Sawyer kept his hand on Juliet a little longer than necessary, temporarily loosing himself in the feminine curve of her back, before remembering exactly what he had wanted to say.

"Say I challenge you to something of your choosing. If I win, you have to agree to stay for another two months—"

"Two weeks."

He smiled widely. "The sub won't be comin' back for at least another three weeks, Juliet. How about taking a wager and walking on the wild side for a change."

Though she didn't believe him for a second, his dimples superseded her initial suspicion. She briefly thought he shouldn't be allowed to smile in her house if it had this much of an effect on her.

She mentally berated herself for thinking such thoughts towards a man like Sawyer, dimples be damned.

"Alright," she said ignoring the odd feeling in her chest. "As long as I get to pick the stakes. And we won't be doing anything that involves indecent exposure."

Sawyer snapped his fingers, feigning disappointment. "I guess that means strip poker is out."

She refrained from hitting him and gave him a fierce glare instead. "Not even an option. We're going to race from here to the dock and whoever gets there first wins."

"Not nearly as interesting as my suggestion, but I guess beggars can't be choosers."

Juliet shook her head, smiling. "If this is what you call begging, I think you need to refine your technique. And don't take me too lightly, James, or you'll regret it. When I lived in Portland, I used to run four miles a day because Edmund—"

She stopped.

"Who the hell is Edmund?"

She waved her hand impatiently, hiding her instant fear at her outburst. "Right. Who the hell _is_ Edmund."

Sawyer looked at her strangely before shrugging his shoulders. "Well, even if you did run four miles a day back in the real world, it doesn't change the fact that you're gonna lose."

"Is that so?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow while heading towards the door to grab her shoes. "We'll just have to see about that."

A few minutes later, they stood in front of Juliet's house, arms forward and eyes concentrated ahead of them. Juliet turned to look at Sawyer, a mocking smile on her face. "If you still want to back out, now's your chance. But I'm sorry to say that you're about to face a really humiliating defeat."

He smiled again, knowingly. "You keep thinkin' that, but don't start crying if you lose."

Juliet decided to ignore this comment. "Alright. On three. One. Two. Thr—"

She should have known James was the type that didn't adhere to rules. But then again, if he wasn't going to, neither was she.

Though her legs were much shorter than his own, she was easily able to catch up with him in a matter of seconds. "Looks like your head start didn't do you too much good."

He turned around, startled. "How did you catch up with me so quickly?"

"Magic."

He smirked. "Well you're going to need a lot more than magic to—whoa!"

Juliet had stuck her leg out, causing Sawyer to fall flat on his face. "That's what you get for not playing by the rules, James," she said simply, sprinting ahead of him."

She heard him mumble something along the lines of "I think you broke my goddamned ankle!" and she hesitated for a second, wondering if she should fall for such an obvious diversionary tactic. However, Doctor Juliet seemed to win the battle between her heart and logic.

She turned on her heel and headed back where he had fallen. "Let me see it."

"What, so you can make sure you did the job properly?" he asked snidely.

Juliet glared at him and grabbed his ankle roughly. She moved it from left to right in her hand, causing him to wince slightly. "It looks pretty swollen."

Sawyer rolled his eyes. "Brilliant deduction, Sherlock."

Juliet stood up and, for a moment, Sawyer believed she was going to leave him sitting in the ground. But, much to his surprise, she held out her hand and helped him on his feet. He placed his arm around her shoulders to support himself, completing the awkward one-armed hug.

He suddenly had déjà vu. The feeling of being injured, leaning on the frame of a woman was all to familiar to him. However the feeling in his chest was not uneasy or anticipatory as it had been with Kate. He simply felt extremely comfortable and warm, like the shapes of their bodies were somehow complimentary.

He didn't have time to contemplate this odd discovery further because he soon noticed that Juliet was instead carrying him in the direction of the docks rather than his house.

"You trying to lead me to a secluded place when I'm completely defenseless and take advantage of me? I never took you for that kind of wom—"

She jabbed him painfully in the side with her elbow, causing him to gasp in pain, and continued to walk in the direction of the dock. "Your injury won't prevent me from causing you further pain, so watch what you say to me."

"Jesus! Did you get combat training or something? You seem to know just where to hit a man so it hurts."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're really a man at all."

"Well I sure ain't a woman," he said suggestively, causing her to almost jab him again. "And you still didn't answer my question."

Juliet sighed. The weight of his body was starting to take a toll on hers and the smell of him was overpowering her senses. "I got mugged once when I first traveled to the city. The man didn't have a gun or anything, but he overpowered me and broke my arm in four different places. After that, I took some extensive self defense lessons."

"Well they sure as hell paid off."

Juliet smiled deviously. "I'm so glad that you think so. Maybe now you'll keep your assholish behavior to a minimum."

"No chance in hell."

"Well, we're here."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I hope you don't expect me to feel grateful or excited. I'm not exactly why you brought me to the damn dock anyways. Are you just trying to gloat because you beat me?"

"Actually James," Juliet said, smiling, "I lost because I caused you physical harm. So you win by default. So you got two more months out of me. Next time, you won't be so lucky."

"As long as I'm around, you ain't leavin', Juliet."

She was speechless for a moment. Why did he care so much that she stayed on this island anyway? Sure, they were slowly forming an odd sort of friendship, but their bond was still relatively loose. There was no real reason for him to be acting this way, actually wanting her to stay with him.

"Says you," she said simply. She decided not to address the issue with him until a later date. It was presumptuous of her to discern what his though process was. "Another sub will come in two months, and I'm going to make sure I'm on it whether you like it or not."

She sat down on the dock, bringing Sawyer down with her. It took her a moment to realize that his arm was wrapped strongly around her shoulders. She hadn't noticed it when they were walking because, at the time, it had seemed like the most natural thing to her. Now she was starting to feel a little nervous.

"I'm not gonna to let you go 'cause you won't know what to do when you get there. It's 1974, in case you haven't noticed. Though I feel like a broken record when ever we bring this up. Nothin' on this island is scarier than what's out there in the real world."

She felt a small pang of disappointment at his explanation, but shoved it to the deepest recesses of his mind. "I can handle myself, James."

He growled, suddenly irritated. "Hell if I don't know that. But it don't change the fact that the it's not the world you know. I just want you to know I'll do as much as I can to prevent you from getting yourself hurt. And if I have to ruin your chances of getting off the island, then so be it."

The butterflies were back full force and suddenly she could feel a bit of heat rising to her cheeks. "We'll just see who wins then?"

"I guess we will. But in the mean time, those cooking lessons are still on."

Juliet smiled, wryly. "How do you know I haven't given up on you entirely? Your cooking escapades have not proven to be very successful."

"I know you believe in me, or else you would have stopped trying a long time ago."

"Actually, unlike you, I was just sticking to a commitment I'd made," she said, giving him a knowing look. "Let me see your ankle again."

She held his foot, gingerly this time, and slowly pulled off his socks, then his shoes.

Sawyer winked at her. "Thought we weren't playin' strip poker."

Juliet ignored him and placed his foot in the cool water beneath them. She used her fingers to slowly massage his swollen ankle, hoping the cool water would serve to numb a little of his pain.

She gasped a little when his arm tightened around her shoulders, but she figured it was a reaction to the pain she was causing.

On the contrary, Sawyer wasn't feeling pain at all. Sure his ankle was swollen, but it had been swollen even before they had raced each other. In fact, he had banged his food against hard against the door frame on the way to Juliet's house that morning, but she didn't need to know that.

He concentrated on the feelings of her cool hands on his swollen foot under the water and closed his eyes. If she didn't use magic when she was running, she was _definitely_ using magic now. Her fingers were soft and gentle and to him seemed in discord with her entire demeanor. Yet another one of her intriguing attributes to add to the ever growing list.

Suddenly, she let go of his foot and straightened her body once more. Then she looked him in the eye, her own face impassive. "You do know I'm a doctor don't you?"

He looked puzzled. "Yes of course."

She blinked and waited for another response. When he didn't continue, she shrugged his arm off her shoulder and looked calmly ahead of her before quickly adding, "I hope you can swim."

"Why—"

Before he could respond, she shoved him forward into the ocean and stood up, preparing to leave. However, the idea of seeing James soaked and surprised made her reconsider her exit.

He resurfaced, spluttering. "Well, I can't say I didn't deserve that, tryin' to con you and all."

"Of course you did."

He ignored her comment. "So then, who won?"

"Even though you played dirty, I have to commend you on your efforts. I guess I have to stay two more months, to appease you."

She held out her hand to pull him up, yet again. "I suppose we should head—"

Sawyer grabbed her hand and pulled her off the dock and into the water before she could complete her thought.

It was her turn to resurface, bewildered at the turn of events. "Well I guess I should have seen that coming."

"Of course you should've."

She shook her head, smiling, then used the sturdy wood of the dock to hoist herself up. "Don't think I've forgotten why I was angry at you in the first place."

He copied her action and sat down next to her as if nothing had happened. "But you're not angry anymore, are you?"

She looked at the sun setting beautifully in the sky and truly contemplated his question. "No. I'm not angry, James."

He smirked, laying on his back staring at the sky above. "Then I consider this mission accomplished."

She shook her head, following suit. "Just don't think this is your get out of jail free card. I let you win this time, but next time when I want to leave, I won't be so nice."

"Well if that's the case," Sawyer said, turning on his side to face her. "Let the games begin."

* * *

Hey, guys! I'm not dead, I promise! I just have to take so many IB exams that I feel like my head will explode. Once that's all over and done with, I will update more frequently. I gave you an extra special long chapter to make up for it though! This chapter was inspired by "Foolish Games" by Jewel! I know I keep promising a Ben chapter, but I always begin to write it and it evolves into something else. The next chapter MIGHT be "Ben", "Bumblebee," or "Scream." One is funny, one is sexy and the other is melancholy. Care to guess which is which? Anyways, tell me what you think! I promise to try to update sooner, but I'm trying not to burn out here, so it might take me another week.

Miki-Hime


	9. Bumblebee

Bumblebee

Sometimes the natural world order dictates that certain things should never exist in conjunction. Cats and fish will never get along as one will always try to eat the other; plaid will never look good with polka dots; pyromaniacs shouldn't be allowed near fire. Juliet abided by this rule for the most part, but on this particular day, she broke the rules.

"Are you done in there?" called a voice beyond the bathroom door.

"Just a minute," Juliet said as she took one last look at herself in the mirror. She wondered if she could still—

"Don't even think about changing back into those baggy clothes! I won't allow it!"

Juliet sighed knowing she wouldn't win this fight, not in a million years. "Alright. I'm coming."

She couldn't believe she was wearing… _shorts._

And they weren't just shorts, as if that weren't a big enough crime. They were shorts from the seventies. They weren't indecent, not by a long shot, but they were definitely embarrassing.

It didn't help that bad things always seemed to happen to her when she wore shorts. There had been that time in fifth grade when she had worn shorts. That was the first time she had ever broken a bone. In ninth grade, she wore shorts the first time she ever failed a test. The day she discovered her sister had cancer, she was wearing shorts. She wasn't normally superstitious, but she realized it happened too frequently to be a coincidence.

But she supposed any fate the world would bestow on her would be better then facing Lily's wrath. The woman was definitely crazy, to put it lightly.

Juliet opened the door and stared blankly into the face of an excited Lily.

"Wow!" she exclaimed approvingly, stepping back to get a better look. "Why don't you dress like that more often. I'm sure guys would be all over you."

_Because clearly, that's my only objective in life,_ she thought snidely.

"Wait until Jim—"

"I will not see James looking like," she gestured to her ensemble, "this. He'll get too many laughs at my expense."

Lily's pretty face looked puzzled for a moment, "But I thought you guys were together."

Juliet's eyes widened before she suddenly laughed loudly at the idea. "Of course not. He's just a member of my …crew. We're just friends."

"Right," she said quickly.

Juliet got the impression that Lily didn't believe her, but instead decided to ignore it. The girl could come up with any thoughts she wanted. "Would you happen to know where Amy is?"

_She was supposed to be the one to let me borrow clothes,_ Juliet refrained from adding.

"She went somewhere with Horace. He said it was urgent."

Juliet bit her lip to hide her smile. She channeled Sawyer for a moment, thinking _urgent my ass._

Juliet nodded and turned to walk in the direction of the front door. "I guess I'll be going now, Lily. Thank you so much for letting me borrow your clothes."

"No problem! I'm totally sure loads of guys here won't be able to look at you the same way after—"

Juliet closed the door shut, cutting her off. The girl was completely insufferable! She would make a note to tell Sawyer the object of his live soap opera was a complete ditz.

Juliet cursed inwardly as the island breeze blew her hair into her face. She had told Lily that wearing her hair down wasn't practical, but she refused to listen. She had even used a scissors to cut the hair tie so she could no longer use it to hold her hair up.

"Hey, you're Juliet, right?"

A man with dirty blond hair and green eyes walked up to her. Juliet cursed her luck. "Yes, I am. Did you need something?"

He scratched his head, sheepishly. "I just wanted to introduce myself properly. My name is Leroy Davis. Nice to finally meet you."

She stared at his hand for a moment before grasping it firmly in her own. "Juliet Burke," she said simply. "But I suppose you already knew that."

"Guilty."

"Well, it was nice meeting you Mr. Davis—"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Call me Roy, please."

She raised an eyebrow. "Right. It was nice meeting you Roy, but I've got to go… take a walk."

"Excellent! You mind if I come along? I was just heading out."

Juliet shook her head. "I usually go on my walks alone."

"But I've seen you go with whats-his-name—"

"James," she said through gritted teeth. "His name is James. And where I go or who I choose to go with is really none of your concern."

Lee raised his arms in defense. "I didn't mean it that way, Juliet. Just making small talk. But I don't think you should be going off by yourself. This island is a very dangerous place."

"I'm sure I can handle it."

"Well I guess I can't persuade you otherwise then," he said, finally giving in. "Just be careful."

Juliet watched him walk away, holding the breath she was holding. She really did hate it when people tried to treat her like she was made of glass. She had been through so much more than he could possibly imagine. Did Horace send him to check up on her or something?

"You know, Sunshine, one of these days I'm going to have to give you a lesson on the art of flirting."

She jumped up, startled. Turning around to face him, she said, "I know how to flirt just fine. It's not very difficult."

"Clearly you're not great at readin' signals though."

She furrowed her brows, "I don't know what you're talking about, James."

She could tell from his smirk that he was enjoying himself. "Do I have to spell it out for you? That man was tryin' to flirt with you, but you were too clueless to notice."

Oh. So that was what this was about.

Juliet looked down at her shorts in dismay and Sawyer chuckled, noticing her reaction. "I'm sure it ain't the shorts, though I'm sure those didn't hurt. I'm surprised you never noticed him lookin' at you before."

Juliet raised her eyebrow. "That's because I don't stare at other people in my spare time. I'm what some would call normal."

Sawyer hesitated before saying, "I only noticed this time because he was looking at you. I didn't know if I could trust him or not."

The butterflies in her stomach were fluttering non-stop now. "I guess you really do have my back."

"Of course I do," he said as though it was obvious. "So you gonna give wonder boy over there a chance?"

"I've stayed here for a month and a half, James." She sighed heavily. "I'm clearly not planning on staying here forever. I don't think a relationship is my prime objective right now."

"The simplest answer would be that he just 'aint your type."

"I was getting to that," she said, smiling. "And how did you know he wasn't my type?"

He placed his arm around her shoulders as they started walking. "You seem to like guys who are capable, want to take care of you, but know you can take care of yourself. That guy seems like the type to hang on your every word, and somehow I feel that would bore the hell out of you."

"I guess you're right," Juliet said, amazed at his perception. "And you?"

He abrubtly stopped walking, causing Juliet to stop as well, as his arm was still wrapped around her shoulder. "Me? I've been around women of all kinds. I don't discriminate."

Juliet rolled her eyes. "I don't mean women to sleep with. I was referring to women you would like to be with."

"Well," he mused as he scratched his head with his free arm. "I suppose I like to be with women like—"

"Ouch!"

Sawyer looked down at her alarmed. "What's the matter with you?"

Juliet shook her head, using her palm to cover a portion of her exposed legs. "Nothing."

Sawyer narrowed his eyes, suspiciously. "It don't look like nothing to me."

"I knew I shouldn't have agreed to wear these shorts. They're a bad omen," Juliet mumbled under her breath.

"Well if you aren't gonna let me at least see…"

Sawyer hooked his elbows under the backs of Juliet's knees and quickly lifted her off the ground before she could protest. Her instant reaction was to wrap her arms around his neck to hold herself up.

He whistled, looking at her thigh. "That must have been a pretty angry bee."

"It figures that the first day I get stung by a bee that I happen to be wearing shorts."

If Sawyer found something odd with her statement, he didn't show it. He carried her back to her house, only letting her down when he was standing right in front of her couch. He the dropped her gently on the cushion and hoisted her affected leg onto an ottoman.

When she had finally shook herself out of her dazed stupor, she said," It's really not that serious, James. It's only a bee sting."

He ignored her and walked into the kitchen, noisily searching through drawers. "It looks like the bee was tryin' to kill you. I wonder what you did to offend it."

Juliet closed her eyes, enjoying the cool air of her house. "I thought I was the victim in this scenario."

He walked toward her with various bottles and a plastic bag in his hand. "I don't think you play the part of the victim very well."

She cocked her head, contemplating this for a moment. "No. I guess I don't."

They sat in silence for a moment as Sawyer reached into the plastic bag and pulled out an ice cube. When he reached out to place it on her skin, she flinched slightly. He looked into her eyes as though seeking permission. She nodded, closing her eyes.

The cold feeling of the ice on her thigh made her bite her lip. She could feel his fingers moving the ice back and forth and occasionally his fingers would make contact with her skin. During those rare moments, she could feel her back arch slightly with… well she wasn't certain what it was, but it felt amazing.

Her body was trembling and she was pretty damn sure it wasn't from the cold. It was a peculiar feeling, different from any sensation that had ever passed through her body. Just when she thought she couldn't take it any longer, when her lips had parted and a moan was rising in her throat, he stopped.

Sawyer suddenly regretted grabbing such a small ice cube. As soon as he had removed his fingers from her thigh, he missed the feeling. It was strange, to be acting in such a way in the presence of a woman. He was usually the one to make them squirm, not the other way around. And he had always been the one in control.

He was sure Juliet hadn't felt a thing at all. Her leg was probably numb from the ice and her eyes had been closed the entire time. His eyes traveled to her face, almost as though on their own accord. Her eyes were still closed, lips were slightly parted, and her hair spread around her like a halo—

Sawyer looked away feeling slightly ashamed at himself. He was acting like some hormonal teenage boy. If he wasn't careful, he would soon find himself in some real trouble. He might as well climb out of the deep end before it was too late.

With fumbling fingers, Sawyer grabbed the plastic card he found in the kitchen and quickly scraped it across her thigh, causing the bee's stinger to rise out of her skin. He pulled it out from beneath her skin, being careful not to make any contact with her again.

"There now," he said, trying to hide the hitch in his throat as she opened her eyes, "That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Juliet shook her head, suddenly wondering if she would ever be able to regain the ability to speak.

Sawyer pointed to a pink bottle on her coffee table. "There's the calamine lotion. You're a doctor, so I'm assumin' you know what to do with it?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Sawyer."

He plopped down on the sofa next to her. He faced her, suddenly remembering something. "Yeah," he mumbled. "You remember how I was gonna say something to you before that bee stung the hell out of you?"

Juliet nodded again.

"I don't believe in love," he said truthfully. "Never have and never will. But if you asked me what kind of person I'd like to just _be_ with…"

He could suddenly feel himself getting nervous, but he continued nonetheless. "I guess I would like to be with a person just like you."

Juliet, gently laid a hand on his shoulder, touched by his words. "But, that's what we're already doing Sawyer. It's possible to have a friend who is a woman that you don't sleep with."

Sawyer chuckled. "I guess it's possible if the sky 'aint fallin' yet."

But inside he knew her assessment wasn't quite right. He felt protective of her as he supposed a friend should. They were there for each other in the way friends were. But he was sure that if she were truly just his friend that her presence wouldn't make his so damn nervous. If he were just her friend, he wouldn't have felt anger when that man had approached her. And he couldn't blame it on her clothes this time.

He now knew why he had felt like a teenager around her as of late, and he cursed himself for being so stupid as to let it happen.

As Sawyer turned to look at her, his stomach churning, he realized he had a crush on Juliet.

* * *

Miki-hime here! Aww! Poor Sawyer. I promise I won't torture him too much. I do promise you that this relationship is going to develop very slowly. Right now, he merely has a crush, he's clearly not in love and will not be for a while. But you'll know when it happens. This chapter was inspired by the song "Bumblebee" by Bambee. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but no guarentees. Let me know what you think!


	10. Let Go

Let Go

"Hey, Jim, grab that end and we'll carry it to the Flame station."

Sawyer thought he'd never see the day when he offered to actually help someone, without expecting something in return, yet here he was helping to lift some rather peculiar instruments from a Dharma van.

His partner shook his head disbelievingly. "I'm surprise Horace even let you come here with me. The work we're doing here at Dharma is extremely top secret. No outsiders have been privy to this information."

Sawyer fought the urge to roll his eyes. Today, he had decided, he was going to be on his best behavior. "Yeah, well I guess it was just my natural charm and charisma that persuaded him."

"Not to mention your modesty," a voice behind him said snidely.

Sawyer nearly dropped what he was holding when he heard her voice. He cleared his throat and regained his composure. "How did you get a backstage pass, Juliet?"

Juliet smiled, "I asked nicely. Nice to see you too, James."

As they locked eyes, Phil looked in between them nervously. "I hate to interrupt, but we've got to get moving. The others won't be here for a couple hours, but I've got the first shift. I don't suppose…" he trailed off, looking at Sawyer expectantly.

Sawyer immediately shook his head. "No can do. I have better things to do than watch people all day through a television screen."

Juliet raised an eyebrow, "What kind of things? As I recall, you seem to sit around doing just that in your spare time."

"Well damn. Touché," Sawyer said as he and Phil reached the door. "Would you mind getting that?"

She stared at him for a second. "Since when do you act so courteous?" she asked as she grabbed the door handle.

Sawyer shrugged as he walked past her, carrying the table. However, he didn't wait for her to step aside before walking through the door frame. She glared at him and sucked in her stomach as much as she could to let him pass. His forearm grazed her chest lightly, causing her to gasp.

He smirked. "That better?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and quickly made her way through the door before Phil followed him, carrying the other end of the box.

"You're horrible," Juliet said, shaking her head at him. "You're lucky that you're carrying that box or I would have hit you."

"You sure you guys aren't a couple? 'Cause you sure act like one," Phil said, smiling.

"Of course we're sure," Juliet said, her stomach fluttering slightly at the thought. "What a funny thing to ask."

Phil didn't look convinced. "I'm just calling things exactly how I—"

Phil's eyes suddenly widened and immediately dropped his end of the box, walked brusquely to the television monitors and squinted at one of the screens

"Hey!" Sawyer yelled, his arms feeling the sudden strain of the box's total weight. "You oughta let someone know when you—"

Juliet silenced him by pressing her index finger firmly to his lips. Their eyes met and, for the first time in months, Sawyer detected a trace of panic in her eyes.

Juliet stalked past him and towards Phil who was looking at the screen intently. Fear and apprehension were written on his face as his finger inched toward a red button labeled EMERGENCY.

"What's going on, Phil?" Juliet asked as she quickly glanced over his shoulder at the monitor. It was as if she could feel her heart stop; her worst suspicions had been confirmed.

His finger hovered over the red button as he turned to Juliet, a fake smile plastered on his face. "Everything will be fine," he said waving his hand noncommittally. "It seems a hostile has approached the sonic fence. Though I'm not sure if he will cross, I figure it's best to warn Horace and the others."

He turned towards the monitor's again, reaching out to touch the button. "We'll make sure we take care of—"

Juliet didn't let him finish. With all the strength she could muster, she hit him at the base of his neck with the side of her hand. His body slumped to the floor at her feet and she stepped over it quickly, setting her eyes on the monitor screen.

When Saywer had recovered from the shock he asked, "What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to compromise our delicate situation here?"

"No," she said simply, showing no apparent remorse for Phil's condition. "I'm trying to preserve it."

Juliet grabbed Phil by the arms and proceeded to drag him to the nearest chair. Immediately after she had done so, she felt Sawyer's strong hand on her shoulder.

"Let me carry him," he said, "and then you can kindly tell me what the hell is going on here."

Juliet nodded and stepped aside so he could lift her victim off the ground. When he had successfully placed Phil on the chair, he looked at her expectantly. Surprisingly, there was no accusation in his eyes, only a hint of anticipation.

Juliet sighed, physically and mentally preparing herself for what came next. "Before I joined your camp, I had been on this island for more than three years. I was brought to the island to research the odd effects the island was having on pregnant women.

"Though I was only supposed to stay on the island for a few months, Ben kept me there for three years. He had a fixation on me that I couldn't quite understand. But now that I'm here I finally understand why he put me through so much torture."

Juliet gestured towards the screen, "That man, Richard Alpert, is the one who brought me here. There is something very important I have to say to him."

Sawyer simply stared at her, not knowing what he should say. When he decided, he cleared his voice and asked, "When do we leave?"

"_We_ aren't going anywhere, James," Juliet said, turning to switch off the security monitors. "Someone has to stay here to explain to Phil why he was knocked out. We only have about an hour before he wakes up, I doubt that's enough time to—"

His fingers encircled her wrist lightly, effectively stopping Juliet from completing her thought. "There ain't no way in hell I'm going to let you go off by yourself, Juliet. Those others are capable of some pretty horrible things. If Locke hadn't stopped them, they would have chopped your arm off! Somehow I think talking to them ain't the best idea."

She ignored the feeling of his hands on her wrist with difficulty, turning to face him head on. "James, you're not coming. I need to do this by myself. If I don't the results will be catastrophic and—"

She stopped herself before the whole truth came out.

"And what?" he prodded as his grip on her wrist grew tighter.

_He'll hurt you,_ she thought as she closed her eyes.

"If I don't do this," Juliet said, her voice shaking slightly, "I'll be punished."

Sawyer furrowed his brows, "By who—"

Juliet shook her head. "Let go, James, I don't have time for this. This may be my only chance to confront Richard when no one's around. It'll be easier to do it if I'm alone."

They stared at each other for a full minute, neither ready to accept defeat just yet. Surprisingly, it was Sawyer who conceded first. He sighed, his fingers still lightly encircling her wrist.

"Just don't do any thing stupid, okay?" Sawyer said, grudgingly. "Just stay on our side of the fence."

Juliet decided not to remind him that no fence, no matter how powerful, could completely keep Richard out. She thought of the irony of the situation. A few weeks ago, he wouldn't have cared whether she lived or died. But now he seemed to be showing genuine concern for her, echoing the same words that were spoken to her not too long ago.

"I won't if you won't, James," she said, suppressing the urge to shake her head at the bizarre, parallel conversation. "Just make sure to tell Phil some adequate story. You were once a conn man, I'm sure you haven't lost your touch."

Sawyer smirked, "Somehow, coming from you, I think that's a compliment. Why don't you tell me what else you like about me," he said as he stepped a bit closer to her.

Juliet raised an eyebrow, startled by his sudden change in behavior. If she didn't know better, she would say he was flirting with her. Yeah, that would indeed be the day when hell froze over. She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing, but in the end, she couldn't control the smile that spread across her face.

"I do believe you are fishing, James, which I believe is quite pathetic," said Juliet.

"You sure know how to kick a man when he's down, don't you?"

Juliet's eyes flickered to the screen behind him and a sudden panic rose into her chest. "I've got to go, James. This is my only chance."

Sawyer gently pulled her by the arm, creating less than an inch of space between their bodies. Then, hesitating slightly, he pulled her flush against his chest. The sudden impact made her a bit dizzy making her wrap her arms around his midsection to keep her balance. He breath tickled her neck and her body was enveloped in his warmth.

"You better be careful out there," Sawyer whispered in her ear, " 'Cause you're all I got left."

Juliet nodded into his shoulder and let herself relish the feeling of comfort for a few seconds before stepping back, turning around, and disappearing up the stairs. Suddenly, Sawyer felt something akin to panic rise in his chest as he watched her walk away. It was a rather peculiar sense of foreboding, as though the storm clouds were rolling in. He reached out his hand and opened his mouth to call her back, then thought better of it. It was probably all in his head.

* * *

Juliet drove as fast as she could to reach the sonic fence, hoping that Richard hadn't left. It was highly unlikely that such a window of opportunity would open again. It would be too suspicious for the same events to happen twice and she didn't want to betray Horace's trust.

She squinted and was able to see that Richard was still in the same place, observing the sonic fence with both curiosity and disdain. When she reached the fence, Juliet turned off the car and jumped out. Richard looked up at her, startled at her sudden appearance.

"Richard Alpert?" she asked, stopping right before the sonic fence, being careful not to step over the boundary.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he looked her up and down. His stare, as always, made her feel extremely uncomfortable. He shook his head, saying, "I don't believe we've ever met…."

"Juliet," she finished for him. "My name is Juliet Burke, and I am a fertility doctor."

Richard nodded, confused. "That's very nice, I suppose, but how do you happen to know my name. It's not common knowledge among the Dharma Initiative members."

Juliet bit her lip, anticipating what she had to say next. He would either believe her entirely or think she was crazy. She knew Richard to be a skeptic, which in her mind meant he would do the latter.

She took a deep breath before saying, "I'm with Jim Lafleur, not the Dharma Initiative. We're waiting for the return of John Locke and," she paused before continuing, "we're from the future."

Richard chuckled. "You must not know me very well. I don't often—"

"—suspend disbelief." Juliet finished for him. "I know that. You used to say that all the time. I don't have much time to explain completely, Richard, but I'm here to deliver a message."

Richard sighed, "You've given me no reason to believe you, but I guess I'll listen for now."

Juliet nodded, a small bit of hope welling up in her heart. If he had agreed to listen, it was a good sign. "In 2001, you will bring a woman to the island on your leader's request. As the advisor, you ultimately decide who is allowed to come on the island. You must convince her by any means necessary to come to the island. Don't belittle his request and don't ask questions. Just make sure you bring her to the island."

Richard frowned, "That's a little more than just a message; it's an outright order. If you know me so well, you should know that I don't take orders, not even from the leader of my people."

"If you don't do it," Juliet continued as though she hadn't heard him, "the results could be catastrophic. You must complete the time paradox I've begun. This is a direct message from the island."

Richard laughed again, "Our orders don't often come from the island unless they're extremely important. Do you mean to tell me that your message is so important that the island found some way to deliver it? It would have made more sense if—"

"—I had said that Jacob sent me?" Juliet finished for him again. Since Richard was shocked silent, she continued, "You and I both know that Jacob and the Island have different objectives most of the time. This mission has to do with the laws of time. If you don't initiate the time loop, time will course correct it and the results won't be pleasant."

Though he still seemed dubious, his face showed signs that he was beginning to relent. However, she could tell he would test her at least one more time before he completely accepted her story.

"If the sun sets on our world, where do we go?" Richard asked with a subtly smug smile on his face. "If you don't know the answer to this question—"

"The temple," Juliet said, smiling. "If we're ever under attack, the only safe haven is the temple, the heart of the island."

"How do you know that?" Richard asked as his eyes grew wide.

Juliet smiled sadly, "You told me when you brought me here. I was kept on this island for three years of my life because of your future leader."

Richard was completely baffled. When he managed to regain his composure he said, "If you were so miserable on this island, why aren't you doing everything to prevent me from bringing you here."

"In addition to causing a wrinkle in time," Juliet began, thinking back to something one of her companions had said. She suddenly came to a realization, and said, slowly, "I needed that pain to get where I am today."

Richard nodded. "I suppose I can understand that. Though I'm still skeptical, I'll do what you ask."

"Why?" Juliet asked before she could stop herself.

Richard smiled, mysteriously. "I had a feeling I should wait here for something to happen. I was beginning to think nothing was going to happen, and that this was simply a test of my faith. However, here you are. Instinct is a very powerful thing, Juliet."

She nodded before saying, "I'm running out of time. I better head back before they realize I'm missing. It was…nice to see you again, Richard."

"Nice meeting you, Juliet. I would shake your hand, but the sonic fence proves to be a bit of an obstacle," he said, smiling.

Juliet shook her head as she turned around and headed back for the van. As she walked she said, "We both know a sonic fence can't hold you back, Richard. You only pretend that it can."

If she had turned around, she would have seen a rare smile grace Richard's face as he dug his hands into his pockets and turned in the opposite direction, back to his people.

However, Juliet was too deep in thought. The discovery that she was the person who initiated her own three year misery on the island had been shocking. She hadn't wanted to do it. If there was possibility that life could go back to being as it was, she would remain inactive as long as possible. But "Ben" kept coming back, tormenting her, and subjecting her to many more sleepless nights.

However, it wasn't the restlessness that made her change her mind. She was no stranger to mental torture; it was what Ben specialized in. She was a strong woman and not many things were able to affect her. However, Ben had said something that had caused her alarm.

Juliet inserted the keys into the ignition and turned on the car. The radio began to play an old Beatles tune. She smiled as she pressed her foot on the gas and began to drive away from the fence.

She felt at peace now. The impending danger had passed, and even though it would cause her to remain on the island, it was all part of the progression of her life. She couldn't go back to being the weak and vulnerable Juliet who let her husband control and abuse her. Even though the island damn near killed her, it had made her into a stronger person. Though she desired to see her sister again, she took comfort in the fact that the cancer free Rachael she had watched on the screen had seemed happy and that she now had a family supporting her. Her sister's happiness is the only thing she really wanted after all.

However, her main motivation was to secure the safety for the people she cared about. If she hadn't followed Ben's orders, he would have—

She didn't want to rehash the gruesome details he had whispered in her ear. All the horrible things he would do to James as he forced her to watch helplessly. Having to watch that happen, especially now, would leave her broken. James was her anchor; without him, she would be completely lost.

It was a beautiful day, thought Juliet as she stared at the sun high in the bright blue sky. Perhaps today was the first day of the rest of her life. She had beat fate and determined her own destiny. Though she had wanted to run, she stood her ground and refused to take the easy road. Perhaps today she could start anew and—

Suddenly, a young boy with brown hair horn rimmed glasses walked right in front of her car, not paying attention to what was in front of him. Panicking, she grabbed the steering wheel and quickly swerved out of the way.

She couldn't even manage to scream as she lost control of the van and slammed head on into a tree. Her head connected painfully with the steering wheel as the windshield completely shattered and shards of glass covered her body like sinister diamonds. Pain soon overwhelmed her and black spots pervaded her vision. Before she lost consciousness completely, her lips struggled to form the only word that occupied her mind at that moment.

"James…"

* * *

I know, I'm evil. But an author's got to do what an author's got to do right? Right. How will our dear Sawyer react? That will be explored next chapter. This chapter was inspired by the song "Let go" by Frou Frou. Next chapter, you may see a bit more Miles, Jin, and perhaps Daniel if I feel up to it. I'm still upset about that. I should get over it already . Anyways, expect an update anywhere from 4-7 days from now. I still have exams, but writing is a great stress reliever! Please let me know what you think!

P.S. I'm one tenth of the way done with this story! Not even close to the end, but I felt I has to commemorate any milestone, no matter how small! I hope you had a happy Tenth Chapter Day! (I'm a dork, I know ).


	11. Hallelujah

Hallelujah

"Wow. I must have hit my head pretty hard, James," Phil said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't call me that," Sawyer said quickly. "I hate it when people call me that. It's Jim."

Phil didn't seem startled by Sawyer's sudden outburst. He only smirked and said, "You let Juliet call you that."

Sawyer shrugged, "Yeah, well, that's different. I've known her longer. Since you and I aren't so well acquainted, why don't you shut it and mind your own damn business?"

_So much for being nice_, Sawyer thought.

Phil seemed to get the message and turned back to the screen, "Speaking of Juliet, where did she go? Wasn't she here with you this morning?"

"She went to go get some ice for your head," Sawyer said quickly, hoping he would be gullible to believe his story. "She was the doctor on our ship and she's very good at taking care of minor injuries."

Phil nodded, appearing to believe his story. "That was very nice of her. There aren't many nice girls like that here. Most of them are annoying, ugly, and clingy. Some are a combination of the three."

Sawyer, who was not about to have this conversation with Phil, simply nodded and remained silent.

"Hey, if you don't make your move man, someone else might do it first. I hear Leroy's really interested and he always gets the girl—"

"Why don't you just shut up and do your job, Phil?" Sawyer growled angrily, "And for the record, she's not that kind of girl. I'd appreciate it if you'd stop talking about her like some object."

Phil held his hands up in defense, "No need to get angry, man. I guess you're just being the protective friend. I didn't mean to offend her in any way. I'm just saying that she's the type of girl this place is lacking. If you really don't like her, then you have nothing to worry about."

"You're damn right I don—"

He stopped talking as he looked up at the screen. A Dharma van that was on its way back to the residential center suddenly swerved to avoid hitting someone. Sawyer felt his heart stop as the van crashed into a nearby tree. He watched as the glass shattered and the car remained immobile. He didn't want to believe or even think it was possible…

Sawyer got up suddenly, fully prepared to run out of the station as fast as his feet would carry him. Phil grabbed his sleeve and looked up at him, alarmed. "Was that who I think it was?"

Sawyer yanked his arm out of Phil's grip, "We're wasting time here!" he yelled. "Whoever it is needs our help! Where are the keys to the other vans kept?"

Phil reached into his pocket and pulled out another key before saying, "You had better let me drive. This is mostly my fault anyways. And I don't think you're in any condition to—"

Sawyer quickly grabbed the keys from him angrily. "Are you a security guard, or aren't you?" he yelled. Phil nodded, fear flickering in his eyes. Sawyers shoved him back into his chair before saying, "Then do your damn job. I need to take care of this."

"But Horace will kill me if I let you out of my—"

Sawyer grabbed Phil's collar and lifted him a few inches off the chair. "Listen, boy. You had better let me leave or, so help me, I'm going to hurt you so bad you'll wish you _were _dead."

Phil fell back into his seat with a loud _thump._ His heart was beating incredibly fast and he knew he had never been so scared of anyone in his life. But he knew that Jim was right. He had no business leaving the station unattended.

As Sawyer walked away, he suddenly found his voice again and said, "I hope she's okay man."

Sawyer simply nodded in response and walked away, feeling both incredibly numb and empty.

* * *

The boy looked at the car in front of him in shock, his feet rooted to the ground. The entire front end of the vehicle had smashed head on into the tree and smoke was exuding from the hood. Whoever was in the car must be dead, he thought. There was no way someone would be able to survive the impact.

He watched as the driver's arm hung limp out of the car, blood dripping slowly down its creamy skin. It was a highly disturbing scene, one akin to something he would see in an Alfred Hitchcock film. And though he loved Hitchcock, such scenes were not so thrilling to see in real life.

Suddenly, he regained the feelings in his legs and began to run toward the car. He reached inside the open window of the van and opened the car door. A woman sat in the front seat, her bloody forehead pressed against the steering wheel. Her hair was in complete disarray and her eyes were closed. He stared at her for a moment before placing his hands under her arms and dragging her out of the car. It was quite difficult to carry the woman, as he was ten and she was much older, but somehow, he managed to drag her slowly out of the car.

He dropped her gently on the grass and lay beside her, completely exhausted. A sudden dread washed over him as he realized what he had done. It was his carelessness that had caused this woman to hit the tree. If he had only been watching where he had been going…

Sitting up, he decided to ignore his fears and check for any signs of life. First, he checked her pulse through her wrist. He wasn't sure how, but he had seen doctors do it plenty of times on television, so it couldn't be that hard. He felt a faint pulse in her wrist and decided to check if he could feel it through her neck.

He moved her hair out of her face. His fingers hovered above her neck as he looked at her face. It was bloody and riddled with cuts and a single large bruise; however, it was the most beautiful face he had ever seen. He stared at her a little longer before pressing his fingers against her neck. Her neck was as soft as he had expected, so soft in fact that he almost forgot what he was trying to do. Once he had shaken himself out of his stupor, he recognized the same faint pulse in her neck. It was so feeble that he was afraid it would die out.

Suddenly her lips parted and her mouth began to whisper words he was unable to hear. He leaned his ear close to her lips to figure out what she was trying to say.

"_James_…" she whispered.

The boy was puzzled. His name was certainly not James. Regardless, he said, "Yes?"

"_My name is not Blondie."_

Puzzled, the boy answered, "I know, why would I ever call you that?"

He had to keep her talking. If she didn't she would lose consciousness, and he somehow knew that would only make her condition worse.

She remained silent and he felt his heart jump in panic. He continued talking quickly, saying anything that came out of his head. He didn't know why the words came out of his mouth so easily when he was speaking to her. She was a stranger to him, and he was usually to shy to speak in front of strangers. He decided there was some quality about her, something that reminded him of the photos he had seen of his dead mother.

He talked about his mother, mostly. How he wished she was in his life and wished he hadn't killed her. He told her how it was all his fault that his family had fallen apart in the manner that it had.

The woman reached out her hand and grabbed his sleeve, causing him to stop talking.

"Not your fault," she whispered.

He opened his mouth to respond, but his words were stopped short as her fingers grew lax and her arm fell limp on the ground. Her head lolled to the side as she slipped out of consciousness once more.

Just as he began to think he had run out of options and that this woman was surely a goner, he looked up to see another Dharma vehicle drive up next to the still smoking vehicle. A rather imposing figure of a man stepped out of the vehicle and headed toward him. The boy's heart filled with hope. Perhaps the woman wouldn't die after all.

The man looked at him angrily, "What are you doin' just _sitting here_! If you'd had any sense at all, you would have—"

He shook his head and knelt down next to the woman, pushing her hair out of her face with a rather pained expression on his face. He pressed his fingers against her neck as the boy had done earlier.

The boy decided that he didn't like this man at all. Who was he to tell him he had been wrong. How did he expect him to drag her all the way back to the residential area? The way he was looking at the woman made him a little angry as well.

The man hooked his arms under the backs of the woman's knees, lifted her off the ground, and began to walk brusquely towards the car. The boy got up and followed him silently, berating himself for being so selfish. The only thing that mattered at this moment was the woman's health. And this annoyingly patronizing man seemed to be the only one out of the two of them who could actually save her.

"Get in the van," the man said, his voice oddly clipped.

Ben just stared at him, wondering what he should do. His father had always told him he shouldn't talk to strangers. Getting in a van with one was definitely out of the question.

"I ain't gonna ask you again," he said, his voice dangerously low. "If you don't want her to die—"

The kid nodded and opened the door to the back seat. After he had secured his seat belt, the man lifted the injured woman into the backseat, placing her head on the young boy's lap.

"I'm trusting you with her, so you had better make sure you don't let her fall," the man said before turning away to sit in the front seat.

"What's your name?" the boy asked, his arms wrapped around the woman's stomach to keep her from falling.

For a moment, he thought he wouldn't answer. Then the man said, "Jim Lafleur," and then continued to turn on the car.

"I'm Benjamin Linus," the boy said.

Sawyer's hand halted in midair as he whispered, "Well I'll be damned."

He then proceeded to grip the steering wheel tightly and press his foot hard on the gas pedal. Sure it had been one hell of a shock to meet the man who would later torture them, but right now, he had much more pressing matters on his mind. He would deal with Ben later.

* * *

When Sawyer arrived in the residential area, he immediately lifted Juliet out of the backseat and ran as fast as he could towards Horace's door. Since his arms were full of Juliet, Sawyer yelled as loud as he could at the door.

"HORACE!" he yelled, his voice cracking slightly, "HORACE! HORA—"

He stopped as he heard a voice mumble in frustration that grew louder as it reached the door. The door opened slightly, revealing a very grumpy Horace. He looked at Sawyer's face in angry confusion as he said, "Jim, I don't know what the hell you want at 6:00 in the morning, but I'm sure it can wai—"

Sawyer kicked the edge of the door with his foot, revealing the bloody, battered Juliet. "I don't think this can wait," he said, his voice low. "Just tell me where the damn doctor is!"

He didn't care about courtesy or respect. Hell, at this point, he didn't care if he got himself kicked of the damn island. All that mattered to him in that moment was getting Juliet to safety. He didn't even want to think about what would happen after that.

Horace looked alarmed, and suddenly wide awake. "Well, what are you doing standing out there for? Bring her inside. I'll contact the doctor."

He moved aside to let Sawyer step through the threshold, into his home. He set her down gently on the couch and collapsed on the floor beside her, suddenly feeling drained. He knew, deep down, that he wanted to stop her from leaving. Instinct, he knew, was a very powerful thing. It wasn't often that he chose to ignore it. Had he let his guard down so much around Juliet that he wasn't able to even listen to himself anymore?

No, he thought, that wasn't it at all. He had decided, in that moment to put faith in her, regardless of what she was doing. The look in her eyes had showed him how much importance she placed on whatever she had to do. If he had stopped her, he knew she wouldn't forgive him.

However, as he looked at her now, body riddled with blood, bruises, and cuts, he thought he had made the wrong decision. If he had stopped her, she would be safe, albeit angry. He realized her safety should have been the top priority, and for the first time in a long while, Sawyer actually felt guilty.

It was odd, this feeling in his chest. He imagined it was akin to a deflated balloon. No energy, just empty and forlorn. He should have listened to his gut feeling; he should have stopped her, warned her, ANYTHING. But he didn't. He had let the tide of fate flow whichever way it damn well pleased.

He turned his head to look at her face once again. She was incredibly pale, except for the scratches and bruises that littered her faces. However, oddly enough, she didn't look defeated. She looked like a goddess that had fought in some epic battle. It reassured him; it meant that she was still fighting to hold onto life.

He hesitantly reached out his hand and moved her hair out of her face. His fingers moved from the crown of her head down the smooth curve of her face. She remained immobile, skin pale as death. His fingers stopped suddenly, and he felt something within him break. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pressed his face against the crook of her neck.

"Why the hell don't you let anyone take care of you? You're only human, Juliet. You're damned extraordinary, but still human." She remained still, so he continued talking, "You know, if I told the me I was three months ago that I'd be here with you, that I'd even give a damn that you got hurt, I'd just laugh. I…I guess I've grown since then. But then again, you weren't no angel back the neither," he said, chuckling. "You shocked me, remember? And hell if I didn't want you to suffer for it.

"But now," he whispered in her ear, fingers tightening on her hair, "now you're putting _me_ through hell, Juliet. So if you ever gave a damn about me, you'd open your eyes, nod, laugh, hit me… just respond, goddammit!"

Suddenly, her arm gently wrapped around his neck, bringing him a little closer to her neck. "I think it's obvious that I give a little more than a damn about you, James," Juliet said, her voice like sandpaper. She paused before saying, "And you still hold it against me for shocking you back then?"

He turned slightly and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders. "Don't you ever do something like that again."

"If you mean ramming a van into a tree, then I can assure you it'll never happen again."

"You'll be lucky if I ever let you drive one of those vans again. Damn women and their reckless driving…" he mumbled.

"You know, statistics show that men tend to be more reckless on the road than women—"

"Screw the statistics, I got proof right here," he said shaking his head. "Of all the things you could have rammed into…"

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Would you have rather I rammed into that little boy?"

_Damn right I would,_ he thought.

"Well I guess you got me there," he lied as he finally relinquished his hold on her shoulders. His eyes narrowed as he noticed her slight wince at the sudden movement. "Now you better shut your mouth and close your eyes. You hurt yourself pretty badly out there."

Juliet closed her eyes. "Brilliant deduction, Sherlock. Your bedside manner leaves much to be desired."

"I ain't no doctor, but right now I'm the best you've got," Sawyer said, standing up. He gently lifted her head off the couch and positioned it on his lap as he leaned back against the soft couch, his fingers running through her hair. "So shut your mouth."

She smiled and said, "Alright Dr. Ford," before drifting off to sleep once more.

When she had finally fallen asleep, Sawyer let out the breath he had been holding, and let the relief flood through his body. The thought of loosing her had been too much for him to bear. It was strange how easily she had become part of his existence, a little piece of his soul that was slowly beginning to consume him. He knew it was too late to stop it now; he had already become accustomed to that warmth, that security he felt while he was with her.

Heaven help him, he was in some real trouble now.

* * *

Sorry it took so long! I'm really swamped, so forgive me :) . This chapter was inspired by Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah". If you haven't heard it, I highly recommend it. It's a wonderful, emotional song.

What trouble is Sawyer in? Well, I'll leave that to interpretation. Just remember that I'm taking it really slow. And just as a side note, Ben was supposed to seem pretty creepy, even for a ten year old child (I think he's ten in 1974...) This story probably will be finished by the time Lost season 6 rolls around to hold me over until then. The good thing about this story is that it happens between those three years where nothing has been established, so what happens after the finale (or during for that matter), has only a minimal effect on the story telling. 100 chapters is what I'm aiming for, which means 89 more chapters to go! I honestly don't know which song I'm doing next, since I often switch… I may do "Red, Red, Wine" by UB40, "She will be Loved" by Maroon 5, "Where I Stood" by Missy Higgins (Kate-Centric), "Vanishing" by Mariah Carey, or "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" by Jim Croce. We'll see. Since this was slightly fluffy, I'm going to be mean and make the next chapter less fluffy. Tee hee. Oh, and don't forget to let me know what you think!

Miki-Hime


	12. Beautiful Disaster

Authoress Note :Thank you all for your support and for generally being awesome!!!

Beautiful Disaster

Juliet groaned as she felt the sun's rays bombard her closed eyelids. She grabbed her pillow and covered her head, hoping to drift back to sleep.

"Rise and shine, Sunshine!" an oddly cheery voice said.

"Get out," she growled.

"No can do, Doc," the annoying voice said. "If you want me to leave, you're gonna have to fight me, and I don't think you're up for it this morning."

Suddenly, she felt the blankets being ripped off of her, and her body curled up in a ball to retain warmth. "You are a sadist, you know that?" she said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

He smirked and cocked his head to the side and said, "Well I guess you're not worthy of the title "Sunshine" any more, huh. I think I'll just call you child of darkness from now on."

Sawyer ducked as she suddenly threw one of her pillows at him with as much strength as she could muster. Juliet sat up in bed, narrowing her eyes. "Why is it that I always end up sleeping in your bed instead of mine?" she asked. Then she quickly held up her hand and shook her head. "Don't even bother answering that question."

"It was way to easy anyway," he said as he smiled and sat on the bed in front of her, eyeing the bandage on her arm. "You shouldn't be moving so much, Juliet. Need I remind you that you slammed your car into a tree?"

She rolled her eyes. "That was only the 42nd time since yesterday. I'm not so sure it's sunk in yet. You want to tell me again, you know, for good measure?"

"No need to be such a wise ass," he muttered. "The Doc also said you were on bed rest today."

Juliet raised an eyebrow and slowly turned so that both her legs were dangling from the edge of the bed. "Since I am a "Doc", I say that I'm well enough to at least walk around my own… _your_ own house."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong sweetheart," Sawyer said, shaking his finger at her in reprimand. "You may be a doctor, but you aren't _the_doctor. Nice try."

She glared at him and inched a toe toward the carpet, with the intent of hopping off the bed. "If I want to get up and walk around," she said, making sure to keep her eyes on him, "then I'll get up and walk around. You can't make me—"

"Au contraire," Sawyer said, as he snapped his fingers. "I can and I will."

Just as she opened her mouth to protest, two familiar figures walked into the room, both with amused expressions on their faces. Sawyer gestured to them, with an exaggerated sweep of his hand. "Meet your bodyguards for the day."

Juliet snorted. "Phil…and Miles? How many of those "brownies"* did you eat, James? Honestly, Jin and Daniel would have been better candidates."

"Hey, hey, hey!" said Phil, looking affronted, "I'll have you know I took Tae Kwon Do and am currently a brown belt."

Juliet turned toward Miles, "What's your prerogative?"

He smirked, "I'm just bored. You guys amuse me. And what makes you think that Daniel would make a better bodyguard than me?"

"I'd let him do his job because he's seemed so sad lately."

Miles shook his head, "I guess I can't compete with that."

Juliet pulled her covers closer to her body, suddenly feeling very naked in the presence of three men. "Why do I need bodyguards, anyway? I'm not in mortal danger or anything."

"Because you don't know how to take care of yourself," said Sawyer, smirking. "They're here to make sure you don't leave this room while I'm gone."

Juliet looked at him incredulously, "You expect me to sit here and do nothing for the whole day?"

Sawyer shrugged, "Well, I sure as hell don't want you hopping around the house on that leg of yours. Just sit down, relax and—"

"Be bored out of my mind?"

"That sounds about right."

Juliet glared at him again before shaking her head and pushing herself off the bed. She shakily stood her ground in front of him and crossed her hand over her chest. "See? I'm perfectly fine, James," she said as she took a hesitant step towards him, wincing in pain. "I'll be fine so you don't need to—"

Juliet's body swayed forward as her leg gave way. She closed her eyes and prepared to hit the hard ground. However, a pair of strong arms wrapped loosely around her waist, preventing her from hitting the ground. Just as she prepared to step away from him, he held her closer to his chest, pressing the curve of her body against the smooth, hard planes of his chest.

She opened her eyes and colored slightly in embarrassment. "Um…" said softly, finding it hard to concentrate when she could feel the warmth radiating off his form. "Thank you. But I don't need anyone to watch me today. I can take—"

"God damn it, Juliet! Why are you so stubborn?" he asked as he released her and grabbed a handful of his hair in aggravation. "I know you're a doctor, but can you stop being a hypocrite and follow your own damn advice? The longer you try to strain that leg, the longer you won't be able to use it. Just swallow your pride and rest!"

Juliet sighed and fell backwards onto the bed. "Yes, sir!" she said as she covered her face with her hands. "You do realize just how much I hate you right now, right?"

"I'm sure I have a pretty good idea."

"Just making sure," she muttered. "I don't need bodyguards, James. What I need is to take a shower and get dressed. Though the doctor said I may need help for that, I think I can handle it myself."

Phil suddenly looked interested, "You know, I'll be happy to assist you if you should need—"

Sawyer glared at him, causing a chill to run up his spine. "Though I'm sure you can take care of that yourself, Juliet."

"I'm going to forget that you even offered your help," Juliet said, looking mortified. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a bath. I smell absolutely horrid."

"No kidding," said Miles, smirking.

Juliet glared at him as she rose to her feet again, shakily. Sawyer held his hand out to steady her, but she shook her head and hopped pitifully across the room, making sure to "accidentally" step on Miles' leg on the way out.

Miles smirked at Sawyer as he sat on the bed and nursed his aching foot. "See? I told you she liked me."

Sawyer shook his head and turned toward Phil. "So what was it exactly that Horace wanted me to do?"

"He wants you to man the Flame station today. I guess he was impressed by how quickly you reacted when Juliet got into that accident. Your buddy, Jin, is already down there right now with Thompson," he paused for a second and held his chin in his hands, pondering something. "I think he wants to show you the ropes in case…"

"In case what?"

Phil sighed. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but many of the new recruits aren't qualified to become a part of the security team. According to Horace, they are a very skittish bunch. He's worried that we won't be safe here, what with the threat of the Hostiles. He's even willing to let an outsider…" he trailed off, suddenly realizing that he had said too much.

"Man, she's going to kill you," said Miles, looking at Sawyer with pity.

"She can leave this island anytime she wants to," Sawyer said simply. "If Horace will allow me to stay a little longer, then I'll do just that. It's got nothing to do with her."

"Sure, she can leave the island," Miles said with a knowing smile, "but you and I both know you're not going to let her.

Sawyer hesitated for a moment before sitting on the bed beside Miles. He let out a long sigh, looked at Miles and said, "She's gonna kill me."

Miles nodded. "She's going to kill you."

* * *

She was going to kill him.

Juliet shook her head as she slid down the bathroom wall into the warm tub. Stubborn? Of course she wasn't stubborn! She had never been stubborn a day in her life!

She grabbed the soap off its sofa and rubbed it angrily into the sponge. Pride? She was never prideful! James was just exaggerating. Sure he was really worried about her, but he didn't have to…

"Ugh!" she shouted as she rubbed the sponge roughly into her skin, as though she could somehow wash his words off.

No one had ever called her stubborn. She had been called weak, pathetic, and vulnerable. But that had been years ago. She had become a better, stronger person while being on the island. People knew that she was not weak, but strong and capable. She had worked hard to rid herself of those monikers, but somehow, without knowing it, she had let her guard down enough for someone to call out her imperfections.

She closed her eyes and sunk deeper into the bathtub. In that moment, all she wanted to do was disappear…

"You sure you want to do that, Julie? I honestly thought you knew better than that."

Her eyes shot open and she looked up, not believing what she was hearing. As her eyes met his, she opened her mouth and screamed as loud as she possibly could.

"Whoa!" the man said, holding up his hands in defense. "I can tell you're happy to see me too. How long has it been exactly since the bus incident?"

Juliet sat up in the tub and held her head in her hands. "You're not here," she said to him. "When I open my eyes, you won't be standing here any longer."

"Juliet!" called Sawyer's muffled voice through the door. "Are you doin' alright, sweetheart? We heard you screaming—"

"No!" she said, her voice a few pitches higher than usual. "I mean… no, I'm fine! I just...uh… hit my arm against the tiles and it really hurt! Clumsy me, I guess."

"You need any help?"

"What, so you can see me naked? No thanks, James."

She heard him chuckle. "Again, it was worth a shot. You know, with you bein' weak and vulnerable and—"

"I get it," she said. "I'm fine, James. I can take a shower. It's not that difficult."

"Alright," he said with hesitation. "Just holler if you need anything."

Juliet waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps before she turned angrily to the man before her. "What are you doing here?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "You have no business here and you know it."

"Man, Julie," he said, "you sure do move on quickly."

She laughed aridly. "Well, Edmund, I seem to recall you moving on very quickly on the coffee table, in the bathroom, and work. Remember that?" She pressed her chin with her finger, feigning contemplation. "I think it was during that sham we called a marriage!"

Edmund sat at the rim of the bathtub, smiling and shaking his head. "You know, you say all that but you know you really don't mean it."

Juliet crossed her arms over he chest and stared at him incredulously. "Oh, I'm sure I mean it. I've had more than three years to think about how horrible a person you were to me when we were married. You treated me like trash, Edmund. If I had been the person I am today back then, I wouldn't have stood for it."

"But you still are the woman I married, Juliet," he said, looking at her as though she were stupid for thinking otherwise. "Sure you're much less frumpy than you used to be, but you're every bit as vulnerable as the first day I met you. Different packaging, same girl."

"You're wrong," she whispered quietly. "I've changed. I'm…I'm stubborn now. Prideful even."

Edmund laughed as he gently grabbed her wet shoulders and drew circles in her back with his thumbs. "Babe, you haven't changed at all. You pretend to do all those things to hide the fact that you still hate yourself for being so insecure. You're still a mess, Juliet," he said as he grinned at her, gripping her shoulder tighter. "God, you're beautiful. A beautiful mess…" he trailed off.

His fingers lightly traced her collar bone as he looked into her eyes. His eyes, she noticed, were devoid of all feeling. "Do you know why I married you, Juliet? You were so obedient. I would see you at work, following orders, never retaliating when your coworkers made fun of your looks or the way you dressed. I thought, that girl won't be any trouble. She'd do what ever I wanted her to do. You'd even jump off a bridge if I told you that's what I really wanted.

"There was no passion," he said, his fingers trailing down her arms down the curve of her sides. "I did not feel anything for you, but I thought you wouldn't object if I banged a few girls on the side to find my passion."

Juliet shuddered in revulsion, but suddenly found herself unable to move.

"But now," he said, leaning over so his mouth was pressed against her ear and his hand lightly brushed against her breast. "I actually want you."

Something clicked in her mind and she suddenly realized she was in danger. She opened her mouth to scream, but he pressed his hand roughly against her mouth to silence her. She started flailing and splashing water in a vain attempt to get away from him, but to no avail.

He leaned in and pressed wet kisses down the curve of her neck as she continued to hit him with her fists. He used a free hand to restrain her hands. She was completely trapped. Edmund was really going to…

His mouth reached her chest and she closed here eyes and prayed it would stop. She bit her lip so hard she could taste the blood on her tongue. Her eyes welled up and the tears began to fall before she could stop them.

"You're crying?" Edmund scoffed and moved his hand from her fists to her throat. "Are you worried what they're going to say when they discover just how weak you really are, Juliet?"

"Don't touch me," she hissed dangerously. "Get your hands off me."

"You can't talk to me like that," Edmund said as he shook his head. "Now I'm going to have to punish you."

Before she could even lift a hand to defend herself, he pushed her head into the water and held her down by her throat. She frantically moved her legs, hoping to somehow catch him off guard. It was no use; his grip on her neck was far too strong and she was loosing strength in her legs. Just as she realized she could hold her breath no longer and that the water would flow through her nose, he pulled her up.

"Don't you ever talk to me like that—"

She pulled back her arm and slapped him with all the strength she had. As he held his face in pain, she began coughing and spluttering. He took this opportunity to try to grab her neck again, but this time she screamed again.

She closed her eyes and felt the fear wash over her again as she closed her eyes. This was it. He was definitely going to kill her in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly there was a very loud noise, which caused Juliet to inch closer to the corner, back pressed against the wall. She pressed her face into her folded arms hoping it would be over soon.

When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she screamed again, pushed herself flush against the wall and started to cry softly.

The hand remained on her shoulder. Only its grip was not as rough as she thought it would be. It was calloused but gentle. She didn't have to open her eyes to know whose hands they were; she recognized how they made her feel.

"James," she whispered, pressing her face deeper into her arms. "I hate this place. It's insane and I want out. I—I just can't do it any more."

She lifted her head a little so she could see his face. "I just—I just saw my ex-husband. He was sitting where you are right now. He was saying things, taunting me…" she hesitated before continuing. "He… he was touching me. He could have killed me. He's the third person this island has caused me to see. They all cause me pain, James. It's destroying me. I just can't…can't…"

Her voice got caught in her throat again as her eyes welled up for a third time. She wiped away her tears with one arm and regained her composure. "Next time that sub comes around, you have to let me go. This place is going to kill me. I need to get away before I go crazy."

Sawyer suddenly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him in a tight hug. "As much as I want to, I can't do that Juliet. If you escape this, you're never gonna forgive yourself for running away and I'm never going to forgive myself for lettin' you. This is more than a selfish desire to keep you here as company."

He pulled her closer, so close that he could feel every bit of her pressed against him. His clothes were getting wetter by the second, but he found he could care less. He wanted to stay like this, _feel_ like this for as long as possible.

"Juliet, you're gonna win this fight and I'm gonna help you. You can try to push me away as much as you like, but I'm not gonna let ya," He moved one of his hands from his waist and gently grabbed a handful of her hair. "I ain't goin' anywhere, Juliet, and you best get used to it."

She remained silent for a moment as she hesitantly laid her head against his shoulder. A few moments later, she became very aware of her lack of clothing. "That… was very sweet, James," she said. "But I just can't help but get the feeling that you're simply masking your intentions of feeling me up."

He chuckled. "I'm not. The fact that you were naked was an added bonus."

"Did you…?"

"No, I didn't see anything." There was a very pregnant pause, then he said, "But we could change that if you like."

She rolled her eyes. "Turn around."

He reluctantly disentangled himself from her and did as he was told. "So this ex-husband of yours—"

"I'm done," she said quickly. "You can turn around now."

As he did so, she held up her towel with one hand and hopped across the room. Before she could make her exit, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped her to his room. After he had helped her onto the bed, he sat down next to her and looked into her eyes seriously.

"I'm guessing that ex-husband of yours was a jerk."

Juliet smiled. "Yep. That just about sums it up."

"Did he ever…?"

"No. He never beat me. Though sometimes, I wished he would. That would have been easier than the emotional pain he inflicted everyday. He ignored me and talked to me only to order me around. He thought I was worthless and never neglected to remind me."

"Juliet—"

She held up a hand. "Can you pass me that pile of clothes over there on your dresser?"

He handed her the clothes, looking confused. She dug her hand into the pocket of here folded jeans and pulled out a very worn looking diamond ring. "I still hold on to this. The relationship seemed to have so much promise. Sometimes I look at it and wonder where everything went wrong…"

"You're sleeping with the past again."

She opened her mouth to respond and he held up his hand to silence her. "Get dressed. We're going out."

She raised an eyebrow as she placed the ring back into her pocket. "I'm guessing I have no say in this whatsoever, right."

"Of course not," he said as he walked out of the room and closed the door.

* * *

"Didn't you have a thing to do today?" Juliet asked, her face pressed into his shoulder.

Sawyer shrugged and continued walking, repositioning her on his back. "It can wait."

She tightened her arms around his neck to feel more secure. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"Why would I tell you that, woman?"

"I've got both a severely fractured arm and leg. I'm extremely vulnerable and can't fight back. Some would call this kidnapping. So I say you tell me before this situation gets out of hand."

"I would but we're already here."

Juliet lifted her head off his shoulder as he slid her body slowly down his back. Her body suddenly exploded with sensation and she prayed that he was not able to feel her heart nearly beating out of her chest. She felt disappointed when her foot hit the ground.

She felt confused as she looked around their destination. "It's the dock, James. I don't understand what's so important about it."

He helped her sit down, sat down beside her, and hand out his hand in expectation. "Give me the ring."

She cocked an eyebrow. "What you took me to a secluded place so you could steal it from me? You're a really lousy con artist."

"Must you always say somethin'? Just give me the ring."

"Pot, Kettle, Black?" she said, rolling her eyes. "And no."

"You're making this a lot harder than it has to be."

"Why do you want it?"

"Because," he said as he slyly moved his hand behind her. "You've got to let go."

She looked down as his hand into her back pocket. "Apparently you have to as well, if you value your arm."

"Just give it to me!" He yelled as he dug his hands in both her front pockets.

She kicked him in the knee with her good leg, causing him to fall on top of her.

"Ow!" They yelled simultaneously as their foreheads connected with each other.

Sawyer grabbed the ring from her pocket and held it tightly in his hand. He looked down at her for a moment, caught off guard by her appearance. Her cheeks were flushed, her chest was heaving, and her eyes were flashing in anger. He found it odd that he found her attractive no matter what she was doing, be it crying in the shower, yelling at him, _anything._ His face was inches away from hers. He was so close he could almost feel how soft her lips were as well as the tear stains on her cheeks.

Sawyer quickly pushed himself off of her, suddenly remembering the reason he had brought her here in the first place. He held out his hand to help her up. "Juliet. You are going to take this ring, and you are going to throw it as far as you can into the ocean."

"I am, am I? What makes you think that?"

"If you don't, you're always going to be bound to that idiot ex-husband of yours. If you get rid of this, I don't think he'll visit you anymore. I sure as hell don't want to share him with you, so you had better get rid of it," he said. She gave him a look and he shrugged. "You're my friend. You should know I've never been good at sharing."

Her smile faltered a bit before she shrugged off that annoying feeling that seemed to have found a home in her chest. She clasped his left hand with her right and grabbed the ring with her right. She took a deep breath and prepared to throw the ring as far as she could.

"Hold it!" Sawyer suddenly exclaimed. He ignored her look of annoyance and asked, "Any last words?"

Juliet looked down at the ring. It represented all the misery she felt while being with Edmund. She hand known she didn't love him when she married him, but the ring was so beautiful that she thought the marriage might be as well.

"To Edmund," she said as she pulled her hand back in a graceful arc, preparing to throw it, "With this ring, I do declare that you were the worst son-of-a-bitch I've ever had the misfortune to meet."

She then flung it into the ocean, watching it spiral downwards and plunge into the water.

Sawyer nodded appraisingly. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Juliet spoke again. "I still want to run away from all this, James."

He nodded. "I know," he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "but as long as I'm here you stop you, you ain't goin' nowhere either."

Her smile faltered a little as she looked toward the ocean longingly. She knew if she wanted to escape, she would have to do it quickly. Her resolve was crumbling with every word that came out of James's mouth.

If she didn't do something fast, one of these days he was going to offer to save her and she was going to let him.

* * *

Sorry this took so long, but you know how life gets in the way :)! I hope you liked this chapter, it was a bit longer than usual, but I suppose that makes up for the wait. This chapter was inspired by the song "Beautiful Disaster" by Jon Mclaughlin. Despite the subject of the song being 17, I really like this song for Juliet. I don't know what song to choose next, but we're long overdue for both a Ben chapter and a Kate chapter. The island manifestations only come when the characters have to do something, so I don't want to bring Kate in too soon. I'm not going to bother writing down what songs I might use because I always end up changing them anyway. Even though I have a master list, I keep adding and removing songs. Anyway, tell me what you think! I told you this one wouldn't be fluffy, but maybe next time? Maybe.

Miki-hime


	13. You Won't See Me

You Won't See Me

He watched as she walked out of her house, balancing lemonade on a tray gracefully. She handed one to a man they called "Miles". From what he had heard, he was quite funny and very sarcastic. Ben smiled in satisfaction as he highlighted the name "Miles" in yellow marker.

She handed the next cup to the Korean man. Ben did not know much about this man, but he supposed the man's comrades did not know much about him either, since he did not speak English. He reached for the orange marker, but paused for a moment, thinking. Though the foreign thing would be a problem, he had heard the others talking about finding his wife. With this in mind, he grabbed another marker and highlighted the name "Jin" in purple.

The third cup went to a scary man with shaggy hair and a beard. At first, he did not even think he should highlight his name. But then, upon the man's refusal of the lemonade, the woman sat down next to him and gave him a one-armed hug, allowing him to rest his head upon her shoulder. With furrowed brows, Ben grabbed the orange marker and highlighted the name "Daniel".

He did not even consider the last name before he highlighted it in red. The man did not even have the courtesy of waiting for her. He rudely grabbed a glass of lemonade of the tray and started drinking from the glass without even a thank you. But it wasn't his rude behavior that made him such a threat; it was how he looked at her. It was the same look that the women had when they talked about _him_. He did not understand what made him so appealing to them; he was nothing but a bully and a jerk.

He grabbed another sheet of paper and wrote "Mission: Destroy Lafleur" on the top and underlined it three times. He began to write out his first plan—

"What the hell're you doin' out here? I thought I told you to wash the dishes!"

Ben quickly tucked the list in his back pocket and nodded. "Sorry, dad. I forgot."

"I've never seen such a useless boy," he seethed as he grabbed Ben by the scruff of his neck and dragged him towards the house. "Clean it up! I don't want to see you outside until you do!"

"Yes, sir," Ben whispered as his father stalked by him and slammed the door as he entered his room.

Ben reached into his pocket and retrieved the list, with a smile. LaFleur was going to wish he never looked at Juliet as he did. He would make sure of that, right after he finished washing the dishes.

* * *

"Poor kid," Juliet said, shaking her head.

Two sets of eyes stared at her incredulously. Juliet shrugged in response as she lightly ran her finger's through Daniel's hair. "He's still a kid," she said, defensively. "He hasn't done anything yet."

Sawyer scoffed. "Weren't you trying to avoid him before your car hit that tree? I say he did it on purpose so he could rescue you from that car."

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder whether you think about what you say before you say it."

"I'd have to agree with you on that one," Miles said, ignoring Sawyer's glare. "But you have to admit, the staring thing is a bit much."

"Ben bad," Jin said.

"Rodger said it's because he thinks I look like his mother," Juliet said, simply. "Give the boy a break. He's just showing his admiration."

Miles shook his head and said, "If I ever looked at my mother like that, some would say I had an Oedipus complex."

"I'm sure his father thinks you look like his wife too," Sawyer mumbled.

Juliet smacked his arm, "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. If I can have pity for him after everything he will put me through, you can at least spare some sympathy as well."

Sawyer crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head to the side, looking very much like an overgrown toddler.

Miles whispered something under his breath that didn't go unnoticed by either Jin or Sawyer. Though Jin did not fully understand the comment, he understood the meaning behind it, which caused him to smile despite himself. The latter responded in a much less subtle manner.

"You've got something to say, Sulu?"

Miles smirked, completely ignoring Sawyers comment. "I said, 'you're whipped'."

Before Sawyer could respond, Juliet glared at Miles and said, "There's some pie on the counter, could you go grab it for me. Bring enough plates and forks for everyone."

Miles stood up without hesitation. Sawyer returned his smirk. "Who's whipped now?"

Miles shrugged. "At least I have an excuse. When there's pie at stake, who cares about dignity?"

As he walked away, Juliet leaned in close to Sawyer's ear and lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "Should I tell him that _you_ made the pie?" she asked.

"You kiddin' me? When have I ever passed up the opportunity to gloat?"

Juliet smiled and shook her head at him. She would never admit that she actually found his juvenile antics remarkably charming.

She turned her head to look at Daniel, who still had his head on her shoulder. "Would you like some pie, Daniel?" she asked, gently.

When he didn't respond for a few minutes, she simply assumed he had fallen asleep. However, as though he had suddenly found a new resolve, he held on to her arm with urgency. "Not supposed to…not supposed to be _here_. Not now."

"What do you—" Juliet began to say.

"Bad things happen to people around me. First Charlotte, and now…"

As he lifted his head to look at her, Juliet smiled sadly at him. "That's not true, and you know it. You're a scientist, remember? You have no control over the course of events. You didn't wish her to die, right?"

He shook his head and she continued, "Now nothing bad is going to happen to—"

Before she could finish her statement, a big, red _something_ flew in their direction. Juliet quickly shoved Daniel out of the way, leaving her own body defenseless. She closed her eyes waiting for the object to make impact. There was a rather loud noise that followed, but oddly, she didn't feel the impact of the projectile. Instead she heard laughter coming from the kitchen and the men beside her.

Feeling curious, she cautiously lifted an eyelid to survey the scene. She could see that the entire porch surrounding her was wet, including a certain childish but charming southerner who had instinctively jumped in front of her at the last minute.

He turned to her, drenched in water, and asked. "Are you ok, Julie?"

She hid her smile behind her hand and nodded. "Thank you, James."

Miles, who was still chuckling over what had just transpired, regained his composure long enough to say, "Oh my god! If you hadn't been there she would have experienced the very potent dangers of H2­­O!"

"It looked dangerous, alright! What if it had been a bullet?" Sawyer asked, affronted.

"You find me a bullet that looks like," he paused and pointed to the remains of the water balloon, "_that_ and I'll shoot myself in the foot."

"You'd do us all a favor, trust me," Sawyer mumbled.

"It's the thought that counts, Miles," said Juliet, hoping to avert yet another spat between the two almost-friends. "I think it's admirable and selfless."

"You're only saying that because you thought it was dangerous too," said Miles, knowingly. "You pushed Daniel out of the way too."

Damn. She was hoping that would go unnoticed.

Juliet looked in Daniel's direction and noticed that his gaze was fixated on the wooden porch. "This was all my fault. I cause misfortune to others."

"Misfortune?" she said, puzzled. "Someone else threw that balloon. The water was harmless. The only casualty is James's shirt, and that will definitely dry within the day. Isn't that right J-James."

In the span of a few seconds he had removed his shirt and discarded it beside him on the porch. He now lay casually on his back, his arms folded behind his head and legs crossed. Usually, such an image wouldn't even elicit a raised eyebrow from her. Today it made her palms sweat and her heart race to what felt like twice its natural speed. She blamed it on the heat.

She stared at him a second longer before turning back to Daniel. "See? You have nothing to worry about."

Miles passed her a piece of pie before turning to Daniel to say, "And anyway, we have Sawyer, should any _emergencies_ arise."

"Hell if I ever try to save you," Sawyer mumbled as he cracked an eyelid and glared at Miles, "The most important thing here is that Little Miss Sunshine here is safe from harm. Ain't that right?"

Miles rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, you're a regular knight in shining armor."

Ignoring their comments, Juliet turned toward Daniel and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't blame yourself for things you have absolutely no control over, Daniel. There's nothing you could have done and nothing you can do now. The best thing you can do for yourself now is to let things be and live your life. The best way to honor Charlotte's memory is to take care of yourself and remember the times you spent together."

Daniel hesitated before gently placing his hand over Juliet's and nodding in agreement. "I'll… I'll try."

Juliet smiled and removed her hand from his shoulder. She then stood up and bent down to start cleaning up the surrounding area. Before she could wrap her fingers around one of the lemonade glasses with her right hand, she felt a hand intertwine its fingers with her left.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Sawyer asked, opening his eyes to glance up at her.

"I was cleaning up—" she started to explain, a confused expression on her face.

Before she could finish her sentence, Sawyer tugged gently on her arm, pulling her down on the wooden porch with him. Her body landed in the space between his arm and his side, fitting almost perfectly.

"It's a nice day," he said simply, propping himself up to face her. "Don't worry about the cleaning. Just sit back and enjoy it."

She looked him in the eyes and promptly regretted doing so. His gaze was smoldering and hypnotic; it was a miracle she was still able to breathe. She could feel his breath tickle her cheeks due to their proximity and she turned her face slightly to hide her flushed face from his view.

"Alright," she said softly.

Sawyer smiled and resumed his previous position. His fingers were still grasping hers lightly, anchoring her to the ground.

Miles looked at Jin and raised his eyebrow, subtly gesturing in the direction of their two friends. Jin smiled and shrugged his shoulders in response.

Miles decided to forgo the teasing he had prepared and broke the silence in another way. "Aren't you the least bit curious as to where that water balloon came from? I would have thought you would be ticked off at whoever threw that balloon at you."

Sawyer's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't open his eyes or glance in Miles's direction. "Don't misunderstand me, Bruce. Whoever threw that damn balloon will have hell to pay. I'm just letting the food settle for now."

Juliet smiled despite herself. Miles was right; James was not a knight in shining armor by any means. He was brash, abrasive, bold, and sometimes downright offensive, but she wouldn't change him for the world.

* * *

Ben, from his position behind the garden hedge, angrily crumpled up his piece of paper and threw it as far as his arms would allow. He had not predicted this turn of events in the slightest. When he had thrown the water balloon, he had hoped to hit the crazy scientist and prompt him to go home, away from _her_.

He should have known that Juliet was the selfless kind and simply wouldn't allow any harm, trivial or otherwise, to befall any of her friends. That, admittedly, he should have predicted. What puzzled him was the reaction of the southern oaf, Lafleur. Within seconds of his plan going awry, he secretly hoped the balloon _would _hit Juliet. She would probably be upset, leaving plenty of chances for Lafleur to make a buffoon of himself. Then he could swoop in and comfort her…

He should have known that he would come to her rescue. It had happened once before, when Juliet had slammed her car into the tree trunk. Lafleur had taken all the credit for rescuing her when it was in fact he, Ben, who had been brave enough to pull her out of the nearly enflamed vehicle. She didn't even acknowledge him for that, didn't give _him_ so much as a thank you. But with Lafleur, she was all smiles. With him she laughed, teased, and stole glances at him when she thought no one was looking. But Ben _was_ looking and he wished she would do the same for him.

He didn't know when it started, this fixation with the beautiful woman sitting a few feet below him. He knew why he admired her; she was strong, capable, determined, and kind. However, despite all he strengths, he saw her as someone he had to protect. To others, she seemed to exude confidence, but he easily recognized the vulnerability in her eyes and stature. If others could see her as he did, they would tear her apart.

_I'll keep him away from her, _he thought as he watched her laughing at something Sawyer had whispered in her ear. _I'll make him pay._

_

* * *

_

"That was some damn good pie, am I right?"

Juliet rolled her eyes and turned away to hide her smile as she followed Sawyer back to the porch. Under his insistence, they had made Miles and Jin do the dishes in her stead. Though it was a thoughtful gesture, she noted that he had excluded himself from the cleaning volunteer list.

She turned to him, eyebrow raised in amusement. "Are you sure you should you be so confident about your entree, Chef James?"

His smile faltered for a moment before being overwhelmed by a cocky smirk that almost made Juliet lose _her_ composure. "What's not to like?"

_That's a damn good question,_ she thought as her eyes subtly scanned his face.

She cleared her throat, hoping he didn't notice her delayed response. "The pie was pretty good I suppose. But the presentation was severely lacking. The filling was oozing over the sides," she said. She then wagged her finger back and forth, making _tsk_ sounds. "Stray filling… I'm sorry but I had to deduct major points for that."

"Stray filling, huh? Well if that don't beat all," he said as he held his chin in his hand in mock thought. "This 'filling' wouldn't happen to be the same filling that's been on your cheek for the last 30 minutes, would it?"

Her eyes widened and her hand flew to her cheeks in a matter of seconds. Indeed, she could feel a sticky, slightly warm substance on her left cheek. She glared at Sawyer as she wiped it off with her finger and wiped it on the grass below.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's more fun this way," he said, laughter alight in his eyes. "And 'cause I think it's a good look on you."

"Pie filling?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

"No," he said, his voice lowering slightly, settings loose an onslaught of butterflies in her stomach, "Fun. I haven't seen you really smile for days and I missed that laugh of yours. I though that if I told you about that filling, your smile would have left right along with it."

She could feel the blush spread across her face like wildfire as she glanced down to avoid his gaze.

"I hate my laugh."

"Well, I guess you don't know how to appreciate the finer things in life," Sawyer said. He prepared to lie on his back again as he had earlier, but noticed that something impeded his path. He reached behind him to grab the object and smiled as he lifted it up to the sun. "Your laughter is as fine as this lemonade."

"You're only saying that because you made it," Juliet quipped. Then she tilted her head in puzzlement. "I thought we put all the glasses back in the sink."

"Must have missed one," he said unconcernedly as he tilted the glass upward, preparing to down its contents.

Before the liquid could reach his lips, Juliet, who had come to a sudden conclusion in the span of a few moments, forcefully knocked the glass from his hand. The glass flew a few feet away, its contents spread splashing everywhere.

"What the—" Sawyer started to say, puzzled by her actions. He stopped as he watched her dip her finger in a puddle of the lemonade and hold her finger up to her nose.

"It's odorless and far too viscous to be lemonade," she concluded, wiping the substance on the grass. "My guess is that it's either soap or cleaning solution."

"Sonuvabitch!" Sawyer growled as he stood up quickly in anger.

"Son of a bastard's more like it." Juliet mumbled as she placed a calming hand on his shoulder. She looked up at Sawyer's' angry face and, coming to a realization, she said. "Why don't you go inside and cool off, James?"

Sawyer looked at her in disbelief. "The coward who did this is probably near by! I'm damn sure he threw that water balloon earlier, too. You don't expect me to just let this go do you?"

"Please?" she asked softly. "Just let me handle this, okay?"

He looked her in the eye, expecting to stare her down until she changed her mind. However, upon seeing the tumult of emotions swirling in her eyes, he knew he had lost the battle before it had even begun. He turned away from her gaze, and felt his shoulders slacken and his anger dissipate.

"Alright," he said as he turned to leave. "But if you happen to need any help teaching him a lesson, you know where to find me."

"Duly noted," she said. "But I think I'll be fine."

Sawyer nodded and headed inside the house, closing the door behind him. Juliet waited a few moments before speaking.

She sighed loudly before saying. "I know you're there, Ben."

Silence.

"You might as well come out now and save me the trouble of telling your dad what you did," she continued.

She heard a rustling noise and watched as Ben emerged from behind the hedges, a nervous, yet defiant look on his face.

Juliet crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her food impatiently. "Why did you do all those horrible things, Ben? As far as I know, none of us has done anything to offend you in the past."

"Miss Burke, I didn't mean for you to get hurt," he mumbled.

"But you meant for James to get hurt?"

He hesitated and then nodded slowly. "I don't like him. I think he's a horrible person, Miss Burke."

A very pronounced chill ran down her back at the anger beneath his words. For the first time since she had seen the boy, she saw his future self reflected him his eyes.

"What did he do to you?"

He shuffled his feet and suddenly he was back to being a nervous 10-year-old and all traces of malice vanished. "He's mean and grumpy. He takes advantage of your kindness and he doesn't deserve your friendship."

Juliet shook her head. "James is a very good person and a close friend. I wouldn't be so kind to him otherwise. What did—what you tried to do was completely…"

Her mounting anger ebbed as she noticed him wincing as her voice became more severe. This wasn't the Ben she had come to know, and as such, she realized, she couldn't fault him for the crimes he was unaware he would later commit. The boy before her was still a child. She knew, though it would be difficult, that she would have to treat him as such.

She sighed and stepped toward him, crouching down so his face was level with hers. "I appreciate what you tried to do for me, but I can take care of myself."

He nodded, still refusing to meet her gaze. She continued regardless. "It was a very brave thing to do, and I can't fault you for your courage, but please don't do anything like that again, okay?"

He nodded again, this time turning away to hide a satisfied smile that went unnoticed by Juliet.

"Good," Juliet said as she stood up. "I'm going to go back inside now, Ben. I won't tell your father or James about this; it'll just be our secret. But if I ever catch you doing something like this again, I won't hesitate to tell your father."

"Yes, Miss Juliet."

He watched as she smiled at him and gave a little half wave before heading back into the house. His smile soon turned into a full-fledged grin as he turned around and headed for his own house.

So she thought he was "brave" after all? He whistled as he headed back to his house, another plot brewing in his head. He would still make Lafleur pay without being punished.

He just had to make sure he was never caught in the act.

* * *

Hey! Sorry it took so long! It's been two weeks, I know. I was really busy so I apologize :) There were several moments where I was tempted to turn into kiss scenes. Did you notice? I restrained myself because I know exactly how that will play out later. It took quite a bit of will power…

I'll try to update sooner, but I can't promise anything. I really hope you liked it! The chapter was inspired by the song "You Won't See Me" by the Beatles. I first titled it "Ben" but the death of Michael Jackson really impacted me as I was finishing this and I thought the chapter was an unworthy testament to the song, so I changed it. Maybe later, when I'm up to it, I'll write a chapter devoted to another song or his. For now, I'll have to push that one back. Anyways, enough of that. Let me know what you think!


	14. Smooth Criminal

Smooth Criminal

**Dedicated to and inspired by Michael Jackson**

**August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009**

**May his soul rest in peace, for he has given us the gift of music that will live on forever in our hearts as a testament to his generosity and amazing musical talent.**

It was just past eleven in the morning, and Juliet was sitting on the couch in her sitting room, staring at the ceiling in utter boredom. Usually, at this time, she would be taking a walk with James, cooking with James, talking with James. Sad as it was, she had grown accustomed to having James around her most of the time. She had almost forgotten how to interact with normal people, the ones who weren't smooth-talking southern con artists.

Yesterday, when James had told her that he would be helping Horace with security, she had actually been excited to spend the day alone. That had been before she had realized that there wasn't much entertainment to be found within her house. Her fridge was stocked with food from all the cooking lessons she's had with James, the house was spotless, and she had read all the novels on the bookshelf, provided by Horace, at least once in her lifetime.

Juliet groaned, feeling absolutely pathetic. Never had she felt a need to be constantly surrounded by people. It was odd that while living on the same island that changed her, she could feel herself reverting back into her old dependent self.

No, she was not _dependent_. When she had been dependent on Edmund she felt worthless and downtrodden. She had such a low opinion of herself that she felt that every scathing word or comment directed at her was warranted. Juliet did not feel that way now, even though she was yearning for company. She now found enjoyment and comfort in the company of others, especially the aforementioned southerner.

It wasn't such a bad thing, she realized, to desire companionship. It was far better than being a loner, and though that had been her M.O. in another life, time had afforded her another chance.

But there was nothing to do about it now. What was she going to do, run to the flame station, fling open the doors and proclaim how much she missed him? If it ever came to that, then she would definitely need to find a new hobby and fast.

Actually, she thought, she could go on a walk by herself. In the "Age of Ben" as she liked to call it, she would always go on walks by herself to avoid the awkward "chance meetings" with the tyrant himself. If she was lucky, she would be able to slip away unnoticed. Regardless of her desire for company, she didn't want to engage with incessant small talk with her neighbors, especially with Lily the loquacious.

Juliet sneaked out of the house, making sure to close the door softly to prevent alerting her neighbors. Luckily for her, today was a busy day and many if not all of the available workers had been called in. For some reason, Horace never asked her for help, even on the busiest days, and whenever she offered he would smile at her, then promptly brush her off. One day, when she wasn't feeling so apprehensive around the man, she would confront him about his strange behavior…

She mentally berated herself for even thinking about Horace or even Dharma in the long term. It wasn't her goal to get attached when she was so determined to leave within the next few months. This was merely a vacation, nothing more, and it was in her best interest to enjoy herself while it lasted before reality set in.

Juliet decided to push that idea to the back of her mind for later: there was no need for morbidity on such a beautiful day.

After locking her door and walking down the porch steps, she began her trek across the Dharma green. The area looked so peaceful now that that all the occupants were fast away at work at some other corner of the island. It had a certain character that had been lost on her over the course of her original three years. The yellow houses, the bright, vibrant colors of the plants, and the towering foliage made her feel like she was on the set of a movie she couldn't quite remember the name of.

Just as she stood for a moment to try to recall the same of said movie, she felt a hand rest on her right shoulder. She brushed it off quickly and spun around to face the offender. When she realized who it was, she almost groaned at her utter misfortune.

"You don't have to look so happy to see me Juliet."

She suddenly felt ashamed at her rude behavior towards a man who had done nothing to warrant it. "I'm sorry, you just surprised me is all. Can I help you…" she paused, fumbling with his name for a moment. "…Leroy?"

"You remembered my name, but I'll have to lessen my opinion of you because you had to think about it," Roy said, with a rather grandiose sigh. "I was thinking of creating a shrine in your honor and you just ruined it with your callous attitude."

Juliet blinked once, then again, then said, "Has anyone ever told you that you have a penchant for drama?"

"I do get that a lot. Can't imagine why though," he said smiling. "And it's Roy. I hate it when people call me by my full name.

Juliet nodded, suddenly feeling awkward in this man's presence. She wished he wouldn't seek her out so much. Couldn't he see that she just wanted to be left alone today? Granted, she hadn't done much with the allotted alone time, but who was to say that she couldn't find enjoyment on her walk?

After a few moments of awkward silence, he spoke again. "Look, I'm not very good at this…"

Juliet turned to look at him, crossing her arms over her chest self-consciously. "What do you mean by "this"?" she asked, making air quotes to clarify.

"You're really not making this any easier, you know," Roy said, scratching his head nervously. He then sighed and said, "I'm stuck in my house and I've got nothing to do."

"So you came to me…because…" she stopped searching for the words before continuing, "I'm sorry, how do you want me to help with that?"

"I'm relatively new here, just like you, and I don't really know anyone that well. The Dharma folk don't seem to trust me with any work just yet, which makes me wonder why I was even recruited," he shook his head so quickly that Juliet wondered whether he had given himself whiplash. "Anyway, this may sound desperate, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind, er, hanging out with me today. I've got board games… and stuff…and now you think I'm a complete dork. That's okay, I get that all the time, and…. I have _got_ to do something about this rambling problem."

"Relax,"Juliet coaxed as she gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "I happen to be a bit of a dork myself, so even if I were to think of you as such, you shouldn't think of it as an insult on my part."

His green eyes lightened as he smiled. "Thanks for the much needed boost of confidence. Since that last time we talked, I honestly thought you hated me."

"What made you think that?"

"I wanted to talk to you because, for some reason, you kind of remind me of well, me. I could tell you don't seem to know what you're doing here. I didn't think anyone else would really understand that. But when I introduced myself, you seemed pretty keen on getting away."

Juliet nodded slowly in understanding. "It wasn't that I didn't like you, it was the shorts I hated. I didn't want people to see me wearing them. I just wanted to hide inside my house until someone could get me some decent clothes."

He looked puzzled if not downright baffled by her statement. "What normal woman these days doesn't like wearing shorts?"

"I'm a dork, remember?"

"Ah, I see," he said. "We are a rare breed."

She laughed lightly, surprised at how comfortable she had become in his presence. With this man, her heart rate was not in constant flux. "Well I was going to go on a walk," she said. His smile faltered a little, prompting her to quickly finish her statement. "But I know if I did that, it wouldn't get rid of my boredom."

"Walk with me," Roy said, his voice lowering slightly. He grinned at her promptly raised eyebrow. "I've always wanted to say that, and what better person to say it to than a self-proclaimed geek."

She fell into stride with him as he led her in the direction of his house. "So what's your job here at the Dharma initiative?"

He paused a moment before answering. "I'm what you would call a theoretical astrophysicist."

Juliet turned to look at him with wide eyes. "They let a theoretical astrophysicist take a day off on one of their busiest days? Forgive me for saying that doesn't really make sense."

"Okay, you got me," he said, looking both surprised and impressed. "I kind of took the day off. My partner's taking over for me."

"So I'm guessing you're not really new here. You must have been here a while before you could be in your position."

"Wrong," he said. "I was in Ann Arbor for six months doing research before coming back. I have been here before, but that was before all these new recruits came in. Most of the people I knew are still researching. I don't really recognize anyone I was acquainted with before."

Juliet sighed, surprised at her sudden feeling of disappointment. "Why did you feel the need to lie to me? You said you weren't important, but clearly you are. You said you're new here, but that's really only a half truth."

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "My intentions weren't malicious, I assure you. When I get nervous, I can't seem to control the words that come out of my mouth."

"I just really hate liars," Juliet said softly. She cringed, realizing she sounded like a disgruntled teenager. "I have half a mind to just go back to my house right now and—"

He grabbed her wrist, causing her to stop her tirade and glance down at his hand upon hers. "Please don't. I really didn't mean to offend you or anything and I really don't want to spend the rest of my day staring at my living room walls."

"Why did you take the day off if you knew you didn't have anything better to do?"

"I guess it's because I knew _you'd_ be here today," he replied. As soon as the words left his mouth, he slapped his palm to his forehead at his stupidity. "I'm not a stalker or anything, I promise. It's just when I first saw you, I knew I wanted to meet you. I guess I thought we were kindred spirits or something and now I know I was right."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah," he said without hesitation. "I know because I feel comfortable talking to you. I mean, you are a bit intimidating, but even so I don't really find it hard to talk to you."

"You said I make you nervous."

"I don't usually talk to pretty girls."

Juliet raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure how to respond to that."

"Then don't. It's a fact, something not to be disputed."

"I thought it was a matter of opinion."

He looked at her for a few moments before shaking his head and saying, "Fact."

She blushed, shaking her head again. "I can hardly call that good science."

They walked up the porch stairs and he fumbled with his keys for a moment before opening the door to his house. "I'm one of the best scientists around. There's no higher scientific opinion on this island except for Pierre Chang, and even he thinks—"

She tripped over the threshold as she followed behind him. He quickly grabbed her waist to steady her. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said, suddenly wishing it were darker she could hide her embarrassment. "You're friends with Pierre Chang?"

"Not really," he said tapping his finger on his chin in thought. "Excuse my language, but he's a bit of an arrogant bastard. We just work together as partners."

"Doing what?" she asked, trying her best to sound casual when in reality she was a little shocked at the new information.

"That I can't say. It's classified information."

"Oh," was all she managed to say in response.

"Why are you so interested in Chang?" he asked, looking very confused. "In my opinion it's best if you never cross paths with him if you can help it. He has quite a way with words that makes you want to bang your head against a wall."

"I somehow don't doubt that," she said, giving him an odd look before sitting down on a couch in his living room. "I just know he's pretty high up in the Dharma hierarchy, and if you can talk so candidly about him, you must be on par with him."

"I did say I was his partner."

"Partners don't always share work or credit equally," she said with a slight bite in her tone. "You could still be partners while one of you does three-fourths of the work."

He looked taken aback at her sudden change in mood and decided not to press the matter any further. "Yeah, well, we each do our fair share. Pierre just carries three-fourths of the ego involved."

"That sounds about right," she said, trying her best to control her sudden ire surrounding the subject. She made a mental note to get a better control over her emotions if she ever hoped to keep her secrets under wraps.

"What job do you wish you were assigned to?"

Juliet narrowed her eyes slightly at the question. "How do you know I wasn't assigned a job?"

_"It's not like it's a well kept secret or something_," Roy said as he shrugged. He leaned forward so that his face was a little more than a foot away from hers. "Do you want to be let in on an actual secret?"

"I suppose," she said coolly. In reality she had felt her breath hitch at the question.

"Horace hasn't asked for you because of that accident you had about a month ago."

Juliet shook her head. "That's not right. The doctor said that I was fine, as long as I didn't do any heavy lifting."

She had almost mentioned that she herself was a doctor and knew the extent of her injuries, but she quickly realized who she was talking to and thought better of it.

"The doctor said you were fine, Juliet. But he's not the only one Horace seems to listen to these days," he said as he raised his eyebrows dramatically. "Someone else must have prevented him from making you work."

"Who would do something like that?"

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "I honestly don't know."

Juliet had the distinct feeling that he _did_ know, but he just wouldn't tell her. She shrugged, eying him carefully. "I wasn't looking for anything long-term; I just wanted to help out since Horace has been so hospitable to me and my friends."

His shoulders slumped and he looked put out. "You're not angry?"

"Should I be?"

"I guess not," he said avoiding her eyes. "If you don't mind my asking, why aren't you looking for anything long-term."

"I don't plan on staying here forever," she said, drawing imaginary circles on his dining room table. "I'm thinking of leaving within the next few months."

"Thinking?" he asked. "You haven't made up your mind yet, then?

"Someone's trying to do everything he can to keep me here," she replied, smiling. "I can't imagine why. I suppose he's too lazy to make friends."

"No, that's not it," Roy said contemplatively. "I think he has a bit of a crush on you."

Juliet snorted. "James Lafleur doesn't get crushes. He's ever in love with you or he just wants to sleep with you. "

"I'm guessing you know this from experience?"

"Of course not," she said shaking her head, looking mortified. "Why do you want to know anyway?"

"No reason," he said with a shrug. "I just would have bet my life savings that he had a thing for you."

Juliet threw him a skeptical look. "You're crazy."

"So I've been told," he said, sighing. "Don't reject my theory outright. You should test it yourself. "

"How do you propose I do that?"

"I'm sure you can think of something," he said, winking.

"You seem very interested in my relationship, or lack thereof," she said slowly. Then, as though hit with a ton of bricks, she gaped at him. "You…certainly _you_ don't have a crush on James, do you?"

"You've got quite the imagination." He shook his head, chuckling. "He's definitely not my type."

"So then, you're…"

"Roy, and you are?"

She smiled. "You know what I meant."

"I've had the odd experience every once and a while, but I much prefer the fairer sex."

"Right," she said simply. "I can't take you seriously after you made such an outrageous proposal."

"If you don't believe me, you really should see for yourself. It's pretty obvious to anyone else. He's the reason why I never…"

She cocked her head to the side. "Never what?"

"I had a bit of a crush on you," he admitted, refusing to meet her gaze. "I thought the two of you were together or something."

She blushed and laughed nervously. "You don't really have a crush on me."

"I said 'had'," he said, nose in the air. "I would use a different word to describe it now."

"Which is?"

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"I never thought I would find someone who was more frustrating than James," she said rolling her eyes. "And, yet, here you are."

"Be nice. I just want to be friends without some proverbial cloud hanging over us," he said waving his hand dismissively. "I admire you and think you are a very interesting person. I'll leave it at that."

"Interesting?"

"You seem to be in discord with everything around you," he said lifting his eyes again to stare at her. "And, yet, here you are."

For a moment, Juliet believed Roy knew something he shouldn't and in that instant she swore she felt her heart stop. The moment ended when he started laughing.

"Look at me," he said between chuckles. "I sound like some clairvoyant nut job. I can't explain to you what I mean. I wouldn't say you don't belong you just seem different than the others."

"Don't you believe the flattery is a bet excessive?" Juliet asked, wondering exactly what mixture of drugs the man was on. "I don't belong here because I don't choose to. I don't want to get attached to anything, not when I've already made up my mind. That's it. Sorry to disappoint, but there really isn't anything notable about me."

"In saying that, you're only proving my theory even further," he said, sounding amused. "You're a really extraordinary person, you just don't know it."

"You don't even know me," she argued.

"I don't have to."

"You should know that you're making me feel very uncomfortable."

"That wasn't my intention at all, I promise," he said, holding his hands up in defense. "I just thought you should know."

There was a very pregnant pause in which Juliet tapped her fingers on the table, trying to think of something to say.

"I'm sorry," he said at last, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "This is one of the only days I have before I have to return to the lab and work with Chang and I've just had to say something to kill the mood."

Juliet shook her head. "It's alright. Maybe I should just get going—"

"I got it!" he said, jumping up and snapping his fingers suddenly. He looked down at her and smiled at her bewildered expression. Without explaining himself, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the chair. "Come with me."

"Excuse me for being a little apprehensive," she said, glancing nervously at her hand, "but would you mind telling me where you're taking me?"

He said nothing as he led her across the kitchen floor, past a very messy looking bedroom and down a rather dim hallway. She suddenly crashed against his back as he stopped abruptly in front of the second to last door. He pulled a key out of his pocket and then proceeded to unlock the door.

He placed his hand on the doorknob, paused, and turned to look at her. "Now, it may not be very sophisticated, but I spent quite a bit of money preparing this room. I never had anyone to share it with just yet."

Juliet raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Is that your verbal equivalent of a drum roll?"

He just smiled at her, grabbed her hand, and led her into the dark room. Moments later, a bright light illuminated the room and, after a few moments of adjusting to the light, Juliet smiled as she realized what Roy had been talking about.

The room she now stood in was empty except for a table, a lumpy , but comfortable-looking sofa, and a large plastic sheet spread across the opposite wall. The room would have been entirely unremarkable, if not for the rather large object sitting on the long table, and the circular tins surrounding it.

"I call this my home theater," he said proudly. "Like I said, it's not much, but it's pretty hard to get a hold of. I had to say I needed it for 'research'."

"I think it's brilliant," she said, beaming at him. She took a few steps toward the movie reel on the table, her eyes filled with barely suppressed awe. "I haven't seen one of these since—" she quickly shut her mouth, realizing she had said too much."

"Since before you came to the island?" he finished helpfully.

"Right," Juliet replied, lamely. She cleared her throat in an effort to regain her composure. "I can't believe there's been one here all along."

"So I take it that you would like to watch a movie?"

"That would be great," she said, sitting down on the sofa, which was indeed quite comfortable.

"I thought you wanted to go home," he teased.

"I was uncomfortable. I'm not used to people saying things to me so candidly before. I didn't mean to—"

He pressed a finger to her lips. "You don't have to apologize to me. I was just joking around with you. I'm really glad you decided to stay."

"Thank you for letting me," Juliet said gently. She then smirked and looked at her nails. "Even though this is obviously part of your job."

He looked stunned for a moment, and then he hesitantly asked. "What do you mean?"

"There's no one else around except me and a theoretical astrophysicist," Juliet said. "I know you guys still don't trust us enough to leave one of us here on our own. You were probably handpicked to be my babysitter, or rather a security guard."

"You're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for," Roy said. He then sighed and continued, "I volunteered to watch you. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to get to know you better."

"I should have known better than to think, for one second, that someone would genuinely want to spend the day with me," she said, feeling a bit foolish. "I don't mean to sound pathetic, but I'm one of the most ordinary people I know."

"Everything I said back there was the truth," he said, sitting next to her, his voice pleading. "You're nothing short or extraordinary. I honestly didn't think you would even talk to me, let alone let me, a perfect geeky stranger, take you to my house. You've actually really got to work on that. I could have been a real sicko, and you would have just gone along with it."

"The verdict's still out on that one."

"Okay, I deserved that I suppose," he sighed again. "If nothing else, please believe that I had a really good time talking to you, and I would really appreciate it if you would stay."

"Fine," she said, relenting. "But you have to promise me you won't lie to me anymore.

"You hate liars," he said, his voice slightly sad. "I guess that means you hate me by default, huh?"

"I really wish that were true," she said. "But for some reason, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. If you lie to me again, I'll probably never speak to you again."

"I don't doubt that."

"I'm glad we've come to an understanding, then," she said in a business-like tone. "I can't say I've forgiven you, but I'd really like to watch a movie, so I guess I'll put our differences aside for now."

He grinned at her, all nervousness forgotten. "Alright, then. I can work with that. So what do you say to a double feature?"

She smirked again, "Have you ever heard of the phrase 'don't push your luck?"

He chuckled. "Got it."

* * *

No less than six hours later, after watching _The Graduate_, _Ben-Hur _and the first Godfather (during which Juliet had to bite her lip to avoid revealing future plot points), Juliet turned towards Roy and threw him a mock glare. "You're really sneaky. I didn't even realize when you put the last movie in."

"That's funny, considering you were the one who picked it."

She threw a pillow at him with little force. Looking at the watch on her wrist she sighed and stood up, looking down at her new friends with a smile.

"Thank you, for everything."

He looked up, surprised. "You're welcome. Does that mean you forgive me?"

"You were just doing your job, I guess I can't fault you for that."

"Admit it," he said, a twinkle in his eye. "You don't think I'm that bad of a guy."

"I'll get back to you on that."

He walked her to the door, pausing for a moment to undo its many locks. When the door was finally open, he allowed her to walk out first, following after her. She turned around, suddenly feeling nervous.

"I guess I'll see you around then," she said. "I guess next time you babysit, you should at least be able to pick the movie."

"I don't think there's a need for me to babysit you anymore. You're trustworthy enough, if not a bit too perceptive." He paused for a moment, as though contemplating his next move.

Coming to a decision, he reached for her right hand and pressed it gingerly to his lips.

"Come back any time you wish," he said, grinning.

Temporarily speechless, she simply nodded and began her descent down the porch steps. Her mind was working in overdrive and she was sure anything that came out of her mouth would be unintelligible garble.

"Oh, and Juliet?"

She turned around to face him, still slightly dazed.

"Your secret's safe with me."

Before she could respond, he turned around and went back into his house closing the door behind himself. She shook herself out of her stupor and began to feel the panic rise in her chest. She really hoped he didn't mean…surely he hadn't realized…

Juliet shook her head muttering to herself for being bothered by something so little. Of course he didn't know. He was probably just trying to get her a little riled up by nothing. There was simply no way he could be _that _perceptive.

For once, she decided not to over analyze the situation. She would have to let things be until tomorrow, when she would confront Roy about his cryptic message.

"Hey, Sunshine," a familiar voice said from behind her. "Did you miss me?"

A strange feeling of elation filled her chest as she heard his voice. A smile spread across her face before she could even manage to completely turn around to face him.

"Yeah," she said, breathlessly. "Actually, I did."

"No need to sound so surprised. You should already know you can't bear to live without—"

She jabbed hard him in the side with her elbow. "Don't get too carried away. I'd almost forgotten that I was still angry at you."

He looked completely puzzled as he stared at her for a few moments, wondering what exactly he had done wrong. "You've gotta enlighten me, 'cause I've got nothing."

She poked his chest with her index finger. "You were the one who told Horace not to let me volunteer to help, after I told you I was perfectly fine."

He opened his mouth to refute her, but thought better of it. "How'd you find out?" he asked instead, avoiding her accusatory gaze.

"A little theoretical astrophysicist told me."

"I'm not even gonna' bother asking you about that one," he remarked with furrowed brows. "I wasn't trying to undermine you or anything. You look fine, sure. But need I remind you that you slammed into a tree and survived. No matter how invincible you may think you are, you're bound to have some mental trauma after that."

"But I—"

"I know you have nightmares, Juliet," he said softly, holding his hand up to stop her from arguing with him. "You wake up screaming so loudly that I've got to sit with you to make sure you don't do pull your hair out or scratch your eyes out."

She paused for a moment, thinking. "Is that why you've been staying over so often?"

"I knew if I told you about it, you'd just feel guilty," he said with a wry smile. "And when you feel guilty about something, you burn things. I wasn't so sure my stomach could handle the trauma."

"Oh you're so clever," Juliet said, rolling her eyes. Then she sighed and said, "But how many times do I have to tell you—"

"—that you can take care of yourself," he finished, mocking her voice. "I didn't do it 'cause I think you're weak. I did it because I care about you. End of story."

"I guess there's no arguing about that."

"Damn straight," he said, looking smug.

She decided to ignore this and decided to address something that had been bothering her ever since she had left Roy's house.

"Are you going to pretend you didn't ask Horace to send someone to babysit me as well?"

"You know, you're really good at this game," he said, sighing. "Alright, alright, you got me. But I ain't gonna apologize for nothing. You've got to let someone else take care of you every once and a while, even if I have to trick you to do it."

Juliet nodded absently, thinking. Horace hadn't distrusted her after all, but Roy had wanted her to think that he had so she wouldn't feel so foolish. She wasn't sure if she should feel grateful to him or angry that he had lied to her yet again. Even though he had promised her right after he had lied, his actions didn't make her any less angry.

Maybe he really was psycho, she thought. He had, after all, suggested that James was infatuated with her of all people. If he could think up such inconceivable dribble, the possibilities were endless.

"Quit dreamin' about me and come on," Sawyer said, shaking her out of her reverie.

He turned away from her and held out his hand for her. "Well, let's take you home."

She looked at him with a rather surprised expression on her face at his sudden impulse to act like a gentleman. However, seeing that it caused him embarrassment, she hesitantly entwined her fingers with his and began walking in the direction of her house.

Juliet noticed, right away, that he was gripping her hand a little too hard. "You know, you're acting kind of strange today. Is there something wrong?"

They had stopped in front of her door, and Juliet reached into her pocket to retrieve her key from her pocket. When she tried to move in front of Sawyer to unlock her door, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pulled the key from her hand. She sent him a questioning glance, but remained silent as she watched him unlock and open her door.

The door swung wide open and Sawyer stepped through the doorframe first. Juliet followed, wondering why James was acting so strangely. Her house was immaculate as usual. A coffee cup lay on the sitting room table next to an earmarked copy of Alice and Wonderland that she had been reading before she had declared boredom.

She bent over the table to retrieve the book and, after sending Sawyer a worried sidelong glance, she decided to go to her room to change into something more comfortable. As she walked down the hallway leading to her room, she tried her best to determine the cause of her friend's sudden distress. Did something happen at work that made him agitated? She had told him he needed to work on his extremely low tolerance levels—

As she reached her room, Juliet screamed and dropped her book, her heart gripped with a sudden fear.

Sawyer reached the room in record time, stepping forward to protect her body from any harm. When he did not see any assailant, he turned toward Juliet, who was pointing at something across the room. His eyes followed her finger to her vanity mirror and his eyes widened, confirming his fears.

Written on the mirror, in what appeared to be blood of some kind, were the words _'You're Next'. _

_

* * *

  
_

Hey! Miki-hime here :) ! Here's another LONG update! I've had this idea in my head for a while because I've felt the need to shake things up for a while. What does this mean? I'm obviously not telling, but I'll tell you it does have continuity with an event in season 5… in a way. I usually don't like creating original characters in fanfiction but, at least for this arc, I'm going to try my hand at it. Hopefully he didn't come off as too two-dimensional. I introduced the character in an earlier chapter, after watching Heroes earlier that day. For some reason, Roy looks like Zachary Quinto in my head. I have no idea why…

The chapter is inspired by the song "Smooth Criminal" by the late, great, Michael Jackson. May he rest in peace. The last scene reminded me a bit of the "blood-stains on the carpet" lyric, so I thought that was a good song to choose. It also happens to be one of my favorite songs ever!

There is plenty in store for these unsuspecting characters, so stay tuned! And, as always, don't forget to let me know what you think.


	15. All Along the Watchtower

All Along the Watchtower

Juliet had always prided herself on the fact that she didn't scare easy. When she was little, she would watch horror films at night with all the lights turned off without a problem. To her, the plots were badly contrived and impossibly unlikely. She never felt fear because she knew the terror was contained within the television screen or book she was reading and no force on earth would be able to extricate it.

Even on the island, in all its mysterious glory, she had never lost her cool. Her intense anger toward Ben had completely overshadowed any fear she may have felt. She knew it was trapped somewhere within her, but she refused to acknowledge it. Eventually, she would have to face it, and when that time came she wasn't sure she would be ready.

As she stared at the eerie red message on her mirror, she suddenly felt all her fear consume her at once, prompting her to collapse on her bed with her head in her hands. She couldn't bring herself to believe this was actually happening to her, just when she was beginning to enjoy her day.

"Hey," she heard James whisper softly next to her. When she didn't respond, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her flush against his chest. "You ain't got nothin' to worry about, sweetheart. I won't let them hurt you."

She felt pathetic sitting there, reverting to her meek and feeble self. Half of her did not want to let him see her like this, but the other half wanted to just relish in his strong, warm embrace.

"I'm scared," Juliet admitted as she gripped the sleeve of his jumpsuit urgently. "I can't believe a little thing like _this_ is scaring me. It's probably just a practical joke or something…"

She could feel Sawyer shake his head, and she lifted her eyes to meet his in response and was surprised at what she found there. If she had been anyone else, she would have missed it, but she knew him better than most. A crease formed between her eyebrows as she hesitantly lifted her palm and gently held his face in her hand.

"You're scared too," she said softly, her eyes searching his face. Her thumb moved back and forth across his skin as she thought about it. "You're scared and you're hiding something from me."

He reached out his hand to cover hers and gently lifted it off his face. She watched his index finger tap the back of her hand, as it always did when he was nervous about something. He sighed and looked up at her, his face suddenly tired.

"We met with Richard over at the sonic fence a few days ago," he said at last, refusing to meet her eyes. " 'Said our people weren't safe, but he wouldn't tell us why. Then the son-of-a-bitch apologized for not being able to stop it and that one of our people was going to die.

"Horace ordered that everyone should remain in groups of two throughout the day and keep an eye out for anything strange. Since you're the only person without a job, he had to send someone to watch over you. I volunteered to do it," he said looking up at her, a sudden angry glint in his eye, "but that bastard beat me too it. So I was stuck sitting at the security station with Phil all day."

"So why did you come home so soon?"

Sawyer suddenly looked embarrassed and Juliet wished she had a camera with her to capture the rare moment. "I really didn't trust that guy to watch over you and I had this feeling that I should come back and check on you. Ever since you slammed into that tree, I don't question intuition."

His eyes softened and his hand played with the ends of her hair absently. "I don't think I've ever been so damn terrified. So help me if anything should ever happen to you."

For a moment, she almost let his words carry her heart to a place where she couldn't control it. He wasn't the most eloquent person and his voice was anything but coaxing but, somehow, she had never felt so moved.

And that feeling scared the hell out of her more than any bloody, threatening message could.

Juliet cleared her throat and turned to look at Sawyer all traces of fear suddenly wiped away. "I suppose the only thing left to do is to put me on the next sub."

His eyes flashed angrily as he asked , "Are you out of your mind?"

"We've been playing this game for months, James," Juliet said, pulling her hand out of his grasp and refusing to look at him. "Now is the time to finally stop. You and I both know that this isn't the safest place for me anymore. "

He chuckled humorlessly. "If you think I'm going to let you leave—"

"Let me leave?" she asked, astounded. "Since when has this been your decision, James? Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?"

"Well, right now, I'm a security officer and you're ain't nothin' but a civilian, so you'd best listen to what I tell you!"

Sawyer shouted. He stood up and his body easily towered over her. His eyes seemed wilder than usual and his breathing had become erratic. For the first time, Juliet actually felt a bit scared of him.

She took a deep breath and stood up to face him, her heart pounding uncontrollably in her chest. "I don't care who you _think_ you are. I know who you are, and this isn't you. The James I know would never speak to me like that. He would never willingly say things to belittle or hurt me. He knows I've been kept in a glass box for three years, treated like a useless doll and he knows I would rather die than be placed back inside it. How dare you…how could you…"

"Maybe you never knew the real me, Juliet," Sawyer said with a sudden intensity. "If you think I'm just going to stand here and let them hurt you then you really don't know a damn thing about me."

"Why do you always feel the need to protect me? I don't need to be saved! I can take care of—"

"No matter how strong you may think you are, you're not invincible!" Sawyer yelled, throwing his arms up in frustration. "Everyone needs help at some point in they're lives. It doesn't mean you're weak, it means you're human and there ain't nothin' wrong with that.

"You're always caring about everyone else. It's about time you let someone care about you too," He sighed and suddenly looked more tired than Juliet had ever seen. "This ain't just your fight bambina, this is our fight. We're gonna win this one together whether you like it or not."

Juliet raised an eyebrow in spite of herself before asking, "When did you turn into an after school special?"

"When you decided you were old enough to watch them," he retorted. Today he just wasn't having it, and Juliet shrunk back subconsciously in response. Noticing this, he sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time. "You're going to get through this. We're going to get through this, you hear me? "

She took one last glance at the sinister writing, its crimson letters taunting her. Then she turned to look at Sawyer, and found herself hypnotized by the sheer determination in his eyes. It was then that she knew she was fighting a losing battle for sure.

"Fine, I suppose you win," she said. Despite her defeat, she didn't look down or show any signs fr relenting. "But I hope you know that once this fiasco is over, I'm leaving this place. I've had enough, James. You have to promise me that you'll let me go."

"No can do, sweetheart. You and I know that is one promise I can't keep," he said. For once, there was no hit of the playful twinkle in his eyes or the slight smile on his lips. "If you outsmart me, fair and square, then I won't try and stop you from leaving. Otherwise, I can't promise a damn thing."

"Why are you so hell bent on keeping me here? Why don't you just let me leave?"

Sawyer paused for a long moment, throwing the question around in his head and probing his mind for some semblance of an explanation. _He _knew the answer to her question whether or not he was ready to acknowledge it. Somehow, over the last few months, he had come to rely on her. They had fallen into their friendship and it had been as easy and natural as breathing. He valued their connection, their friendship. Sure he had a bit of a crush on her, but to him, that was more of an afterthought in the grand scheme of things. Regardless of their relationship or what their relationship could possibly become, if he lost her, if their friendship were to end, he knew he would be devastated.

This he knew, without a doubt. However, he was still Sawyer, and though he admittedly had soft spot for the beautiful woman in front of him, he was not ready to put his pride on the line and admit his feelings to her.

"You ain't got no sense, that's why. If you did, you would've realized that you can't survive in the real world. You can't be somebody out there, Juliet, and the sooner you figure that out, the better."

He could tell his words wounded her, and for a moment her there was a glint of sadness in her eyes. Before he could attempt to console her or retract his statement, she recovered in record time. Her eyes held his own in an icy stare. He flinched almost immediately and turned away. Gone was the warmth, gone was the acceptance. She looked at him as though they were strangers again, enemies even.

"_It's funny, how you two have become the island's moral police…"_

It had been quite some time since she had looked at him like that. Back then, he had wanted to grab that suitcase from her hand and knock her out, yell at her, anything to show her that she was wrong. How dare she look at him like he was some kind of monster when her people were responsible for so much of the emotional tumult that he and the other survivors faced.

Now, he knew that , in many ways, she had been suffering too. Suffering in the same way she was now, after hearing his careless words. He had done it to protect his pride, protect himself from relinquishing any control to her. If he ever told her the truth, he would relent. He would be hers, whether she realized it or not.

He'd opened his heart and let himself be vulnerable once and that had turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. There was no way in hell he was going to make that same mistake again, regardless of how being with her made him feel.

Despite the icy intensity of her glare, she pulled away first. With an almost robotic precision, she stood up, smoothed down her jeans, and began to walk towards the door. It struck him how empty she suddenly looked, as though the fight had drained out of her.

"Juliet—" he began as he grabbed onto the thin material of her top.

She jerked away as though burned, still refusing to meet his gaze. "We should tell Horace about what happened. I'm sure he would want to know so he can figure out what to do next."

"Now wait just one minute—"

"Don't, James," she softly. He could tell her wall was slowly crumbling as she spoke. "Just don't."

He let her brush by him and followed her silently. This had been what he had wanted, a little distance, a little time to catch himself before he fell yet again. He had yet to pick up the pieces from the last time and doubted if he'd ever be able to piece his heart back together since _she _still held some of the pieces.

They were becoming too close for their own good; he knew he needed to push her away for both their sakes and he had succeeded. Yet now, strangely enough, he did not enjoy this small victory. Triumphs against her, verbal or otherwise, were few and far between and this, in terms of impact, was his greatest yet. Yet, he did not feel triumphant as he watched her mechanical stride; he felt lost, empty, and most of all _defeated._

_

* * *

_

"This is a nightmare," Horace said, pressing his palms against his forehead. "I never thought they would actually go so far."

As he looked up, fifteen pairs of eyes stared back at him. He glanced around the room quickly, noting the apprehension and fear in even some of his best security officers. They weren't to blame, of course. The situation was entirely new to them; they had every right to be afraid. Within the next few days, any one of them could be killed by the rouge "hostiles". And they weren't awarded that particular moniker for nothing.

Yes, he thought, it was perfectly natural for them to be scared even though they weren't in immediate danger. It was even more natural for the targeted woman to feel terrified, maybe even helpless. However, the woman in question seemed eerily calm. It was as if nothing traumatic had happened at all and instead of an emergency security briefing, this was nothing more than a Sunday book club meeting.

She leaned forward in her chair, placing a delicate hand under her chin in thought. "Though this is a bit of a surprise for me, I would hardly think their course of action is in any way peculiar."

They all gawked at her, but whether it was from her choice of words or her quiet beauty, Horace was unsure. She glanced up at him, ignoring meeting only his eyes. "They are called "hostiles" correct? They're just living up to their name, I suppose. That shouldn't come as a surprise. We should be more worried that they infiltrated the living area and were able to somehow get into my house unnoticed."

"No offense, sweetheart," said a rather burly man named Tom, "but who died and made you Queen?"

There were a few stifled chuckles at his remarks. He smiled arrogantly, thinking he had silenced her. Another man, three spaces to his left, clenched his fists angrily and opened his mouth to retort.

"No one," Juliet said, still maintaining her composure amazingly. "I'm sorry, it was stupid of me to think that I should have a say in anything. I mean, it's not like I'm a target. I'm not in any actual danger. This is just how I love to spend my Friday nights, sitting in on security meetings that I have no business being a part of."

Tom shrunk back in his chair slightly, feeling ashamed. However, she didn't stop there. "Why don't you forget about your obviously over inflated ego for just one moment and actually focus on what's important here: the safety of every man, woman, and child living here. That is your job, right? Or are you at the wrong meeting?"

The man, who had been fully prepared to fight, merely smiled and sat back in his chair. He had almost forgotten that the extraordinary woman sitting across from him was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

Horace smiled at well, but his smile was slight and much less obvious. He didn't want anyone to think he was choosing sides or anything. Clearing his throat, he turned toward the woman once more and asked, "What do you propose we do next?"

Juliet raised an eyebrow, not used to the sudden attention. "I think the person responsible had an accomplice, and that person is most likely a part of the Dharma Initiative."

Her words caused an uproar amongst the security team, causing Juliet to roll her eyes at their idiocy. "I'm sure it was all on your minds, I'm just the only one with enough gall to say it out loud, I suppose."

"That's quite the hefty accusation, woman, " a blond man with fly-away hair said, picking his teeth with a finger as he spoke. "Maybe you should think before you speak."

"I am aware of my gender, I don't need you to remind me," Juliet said, glaring at him. "And maybe you should conduct yourself in a more respectable manner, Dave. I wonder if you ever learned the basic concepts of etiquette and respectability."

His temple twitched slightly in anger. Horace decided he needed to end this meeting fast if he didn't want these people fighting amongst themselves.

"You may be right, Juliet," he said, raising his voice above the angry chatter. "I believe we should have someone stationed outside your house at all times. We'll be ready for them should they choose to attack again. We'll also have to increase the night watch at the Flame station as well."

"Horace," said a distinctive southern voice. "She should move in to my house for the time being. I'll take care of her—"

"That won't be necessary, Horace," said Juliet, effectively cutting him off. "Having someone stationed outside my house is intrusive enough. I wouldn't want to deter Lafleur from his job."

_Interesting, _Horace thought, raising an eyebrow at her slightly indignant tone._ Very interesting indeed._

"I suppose that's all we needed to discuss. I can't stress enough the need for heightened security because of this threat looming over our shoulders—"

"Our shoulders, Horace?" asked Dave, scowling. "If you ask me, the threat has nothing to do with us and _everything _to do with Blondie over there. We should just throw her to the wolves and our problem would be solved in an instant. I mean, it's not like she's really a part of the Initiative, what with her sitting on her ass all day being pampered by that southern bumbling idiot."

Sawyer bristled once he realized the insult had been directed at him. "You watch your mouth there, pretty boy, because once I lay a finger on you, your mother won't even be able to recognize you."

"The 'southern bumbling idiot' you see before you is a million times the man you'll ever be, Dave," said Juliet, angrily. "You want to throw me to the wolves. Go ahead. I dare you, you worthless son-of-a-bitch. That's between you and me and has nothing to do with James."

She shook her head, struggling to regain her composure after her bout of anger. "You all are supposed to be security guards, but all you seem to care about is self-preservation. You don't have to like me, but you damn well have an obligation to this organization and the people involved in it, which, I'm sorry to say includes me. So stop treating me like your enemy just so you'll have an excuse not to do your job."

Juliet stood up, purposely evading the guilty faces of the men before her. "I think I'm done here Horace. I'm sorry this meeting had to end on such a sour note.

"Don't apologize, Juliet," Horace said, smiling. "I think you told them what they really needed to hear."

Juliet nodded and turned to walk away. She heard the rustling of chair cushions behind her indicating someone was planning to follow her out the door. Ignoring this, she continued to make her swift exit.

"What a bitch," she heard a voice whisper loudly from behind her.

Juliet turned around and glared at the man responsible for the outburst. "What did you—"

Before she could even blink, a man's fist, seemingly coming out of nowhere, collided with the offender's face. The man's moan resonated throughout the silent room.

"I thought I told you to watch that damn mouth of yours?"

"Mr. Lafleur, I must say that I don't condone violence of any form amongst my security team," said Horace reproachfully. Though, if one looked closer, they would see that he was hiding a smile. "Control your temper next time."

"I'm sorry," Sawyer said in a mock apologetic tone. "My fist has been attracted to assholes lately. I'm not fully accountable for its behavior."

"Excuse this idiot," said Juliet, looking annoyed. Then she smiled slightly and added, "However, I do agree with him. The 'pretty boy' deserved it."

Juliet grabbed Sawyers elbow gently and began to lead him out of the room as if he were a child. She simply couldn't allow him to do more damage than he already had. "We'll be taking our leave now, Horace. Sorry for all the trouble."

She waited until they were a few feet away from the house before she rounded on Sawyer. "What the hell did you think you were doing? Are you trying to get yourself kicked out of here?"

"I could say the same for you, wiseass," he said, smiling. "Your tongue was so sharp it could have cut stone back there. It was one hell of a fight you put up back there."

"In this day and age, many men don't view women as capable beings. They view them as beings of lesser intelligence for the most part. It's a bit of a shock really," she said angrily. "What's your excuse?"

"For what?"

"You don't live in this era, ergo, you don't have an excuse to treat me the way you did, James. I can make it out in the real world. If I've learned anything while living on this island, its how to survive and persevere. Don't tell me I can't… don't you dare tell me what I'm capable of."

Sawyer's face softened at her words and he hesitated before reaching out to gently cup her cheek. "I know I hurt you, Juliet. I'm sorry for that. I'm not used to being so close to someone. I don't care for people often or have people care for me. I tried to push you away to save myself and to save you. I'm gonna' cause you a lot of pain, because I am who I am. I hurt the ones I…I care about. It's a habit that I don't think I'll ever break."

He reached behind him and broke the stem off of one of the unfortunate flowers in Horace's garden and held it between the small space between them. "I'll make it up to you, whenever I mess up."

"By stealing flowers from Horace?" she asked, ever the skeptic, hands on hips. Yet, she took the flower, a daisy, from his hand and pressed it to her nose. "I appreciate it all the same."

"You know, I don't believe in all this flower poetry stuff, but I read somethin' recently. Daisies, they mean faith," he said as he gently pulled the daisy from her hand and placed it behind her ear. "I'll have faith in you from now on, Juliet. Doesn't mean I'll stop protecting you though."

"I'll hold you to that, you know."

"You sure as hell will," Sawyer said, smirking. He then squinted at her nose and reached out his fingers to touch it. "Hold still."

"What?"

"You've got a firefly on your nose."

She crossed her eyes to get a better look and giggled a little as a bright yellow light enveloped her face. "Don't you have to make a wish on these things or something?"

Sawyer shrugged as he held the little bug in his hands. For a moment, he had the urge to crush the bug under his fingers, as he had done a few months ago with Hurley's tree frog, but then he remembered the smile on her face, the adorable crossed eyes, and that giggle, and couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he allowed the insect to fly away, lighting up the sky as it escaped.

In spite of himself, he closed his eyes and wished, wished that she would stay with him. Like the firefly above him, she provided light and warmth in his life, allowing him to forget the darkness that lay deep within him.

"What did you wish for?"

He opened his eyes, suddenly feeling embarrassed for his actions. "I was just thinking about something. I wasn't wishing for anything."

She gave him a knowing look, but decided to let the matter drop. "You want to know what I wished for?"

"I guess."

"I wished for many more moments like this," she said wistfully, staring up at the dusky sky above her. "I want to live to see—"

"You will," he said suddenly. He placed his hands on her shoulders firmly and held her gaze unwaveringly. "You don't have to wish for it, Juliet. Nothing will happen to you. I'll fight all the battles you can't or won't fight yourself."

She smiled, thinking of a fond memory. "I guess Dave's an example of that?"

"I'm serious," he said. "I want you to know you can trust me to be there whenever you're in danger. If anything ever happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."

She didn't know how to respond to that, so she simply nodded and began walking in the direction of her house to avoid meeting his eyes. He fell easily into stride with her. The silence between them was welcome as his words spoke volumes within their minds.

Juliet hooked her elbow with his loosely as they approached her house. Sawyer could see the fear in her eyes, and feel it in her heartbeat. He wished he could make it go away.

"Stay with me," he said suddenly. "I'm not offerin' because I don't think you can take care of yourself—"

"Okay," she said simply.

"Wow," Sawyer said, looking surprised. "I didn't think it would be that easy. I was almost certain you would put up some sort of fight and that I would have to drag you away from this place."

She pointed to the daisy in her hair with a smile as said, "Faith, remember?"

He tugged on her elbow and her head collided with his shoulder as a result. Juliet watched as he leaned his face slightly downward to reach her height. She closed her eyes as he gently brushed his lips against her forehead, his whiskers tickling her nose. When she looked up, he was looking down at her with an odd expression on his face she couldn't quite place.

"Thanks for never giving up on me, Juliet," he said softly.

Still in a daze, she simply nodded and allowed him to lead her in the direction of his house.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of green eyes watched the entire scene with interest, logging the new information carefully for later use.

* * *

Hehe. Hi. Sorry that it's been such a long time! Don't kill me! It's been a rough couple of weeks. I'll keep it short and sweet. This chapter was inspired by one of my all time favorite songs, "All Along the Watchtower". While this song is originally by Bob Dylan, I love the Jimi Hendrix version so much more. Even Bob Dylan thinks Jimi's version is awesome! This chapter provides opinions all along the proverbial watchtower surrounding Juliet and the new situation with the hostiles. I treated you with some fluff as well. I just couldn't help myself. This arc will last a few more chapters then I will go back to the more episodic style of writing. There may be more arcs to come! I'll try to update sooner. Don't forget to let me know what you think and I appreciate all the support!


	16. Kiss and Say Goodbye

Kiss and Say Goodbye

Juliet was running, running into a dark void with no clear end in sight. She knew something or someone was chasing her as she could hear the fast approaching footsteps behind her. Any moment, her feet would give out and she would be at the mercy of her assailant.

"You're going to pay for what you've done to me," said the voice. It was startlingly clear despite the distance between them. "You destroyed my happiness and I want justice."

Juliet felt her legs grow heavier by the second and, before she knew it, her body was rooted to the spot. Her heartbeat accelerated as a profound sense of fear bombarded her. Like many others, she had dreamt of how she would die. Of all the scenarios she had cooked up over the last several years, she had never once thought she would be the object of another's revenge. She knew she would die tragically, like her namesake, but hoped it would be poetic in the least.

She turned her head to get a better look at her attacker but his or her features were submerged in shadow. A hand appeared in front of her and pressed the cold barrel of the gun up against her temple. Juliet closed her eyes with a wry smile. It was typical that even in death none of her wishes had been granted. The death that had been handed to her was the ultimate cliché.

"JULIET!"

She opened her eyes and felt all serenity dissipate. A small glimmer of hope surrounded by traces of fear took its place. "James! Stay back!"

Her heart sunk as he began to run toward her, his eyes flashing angrily. He never listened to her, even when it really counted.

The attacker cocked back the gun, aimed for Sawyer, and pulled the trigger. He grunted in pain as a bullet buried in his right shoulder, but continued running despite his injury. Three more shots were fired, seeming to land in his chest area. He yelled in agony and his body fell to the ground, sliding towards Juliet upon impact.

"No…" Juliet whispered. "James?"

She sank to the ground next to his body, as her own body suddenly became too heavy for her legs to support. Her shaking fingers landed on his chest, and the warm liquid seeping from his wounds covered her palms within seconds. She lifted her hand from his body and examined her palm with widening eyes.

"No…" she whimpered tears trickling down her face. "NO!"

She closed her eyes and felt the pain overwhelm her. When she opened them, the yellow walls of Sawyer's apartment came into focus. The relief washed over her in waves despite the fact that her face was still wet with tears.

She moved in an attempt to sit up, but a heavy muscular arm was wrapped tightly around her midsection. It was then that she noticed the hot breath against her neck and the hard planes of his chest pressing against her back. Blood rushed to her cheeks before she could stop it and she cursed herself for acting like a school girl. She was a full grown woman, for God's sake.

She turned in his arms to face him and felt her breath hitch when she realized the small distance between their faces. Their noses were nearly touching, their lips...

If she leaned just a millimeter closer, she could capture his lips in an instant. He had done the same to her just the night before on her forehead. If he happened to wake up, she could easily blame it on the minimal space between their bodies, or even pretend she was sleeping. In all honesty, she was just returning the favor, right? He had probably kissed hundreds of women. To him, a kiss was probably nothing but a greeting. It wouldn't mean anything to him at all if she were caught in the act.

With that final thought in mind, she felt herself losing her resolve. She decided, instead to press her lips lightly to his forehead. His arm tightened around her waist upon contact and he pressed his forehead upon the curve of her neck. She could hear him whispering something and she leaned closer to hear his words.

"Love you… I love you…"

If possible, Juliet turned an even darker shade of red as the impact of his words hit her full force. Love? No. He couldn't possibly… he didn't know her well enough to feel that way about her, did he?

"I love you, mom… don't leave… I don't wanna be alone…"

Of course, Juliet thought as she breathed a sigh of relief. Of course he wasn't talking about her. What in God's name had she been thinking to allow that thought to cross her mind for even an instant. Her thoughts were her brain's way of telling her that it was too early for her to function. Memories of her prior intentions of kissing him whist he slept flashed through her brain. If _that_ had been what she had been planning to do just moments earlier, then she knew she must be disoriented. Or completely certifiable.

Juliet moved into a sitting position, with her back pressed against the headboard of Sawyer's bed. As she did so, his head abruptly slid from her neck to her lap. Her breath hitched in her throat as she silently prayed that he would remain asleep despite the impact.

"Mom, I've done some horrible things… can you forgive me?"

Despite feeling slightly disturbed that her bed mate was referring to her as his mother, Juliet said, in her most convincing southern accent, "Of course I forgive you, James. You're my heart, my soul, my everythin'. "

He grimaced a bit in his sleep, and Juliet could almost feel his anguish. "You say that mama, but you don't know. I killed an innocent man. I'm going to burn in hell."

Juliet lifted her hand off the bed and began massaging his scalp slowly in an attempt to remove some of the tension. "I forgive you, James. The only thing left for you to do is to find it in your heart to forgive yourself."

"It ain't that easy," he murmured sleepily.

"I didn't say it was going to be easy, James. Anything you truly want has to be worth fighting for. If you want redemption, you better be ready to fight for it. You hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am," he whispered, his lips lightly caressing her inner thigh as he spoke.

She felt herself shiver a little at the contact which, although purely innocent in nature, caused illicit images to flash through her head. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, silently begging him to drift off to sleep soon. If he were to wake up whilst in the position they were in, she wasn't sure if she would be able to explain herself.

And, of course, there would be mocking in the most humiliating fashion.

She leaned down to get a better view of his face and breathed a sigh of relief when he turned his face upward. Her eyes scanned his face curiously. His eyebrows were still furrowed and his entire face contributed in the formation of his customary frown. Customary though it may have been for everyone else, she rarely saw it when they were alone. Though, to be honest, she had never truly seen a smile on his face that wasn't tainted with smug satisfaction.

For a moment, she was tempted to lift the corners of his mouth with her fingers, just to catch a glimpse of what his face would look like when he smiled. Once that moment had passed and she had realized just how childish she was being, she briefly wondered if those flashes hadn't permanently damaged her brain in some way.

"If you were awake and knew what I've been thinking, you'd have me committed," she said to Sawyer. "I think I may be going crazy, and if I hadn't stayed clear of all of Phil's "baked goods" I would think I was high or something."

The corner of Sawyer's lips twitched up in response, and if Juliet hadn't been incredibly observant, she would have missed it completely.

"James?" she asked cautiously. "You awake?"

"You know darlin' if you wanted me all to yourself like this, I coulda had somethin' arranged," he said as his eyelids fluttered open. His smug green eyes made her wish she had shoved him off of her the moment she had woken up.

"Though to be fair, any man in my position wouldn't exactly be complainin'. I got myself a nice view of—"

She glared at him with such ferocity that he could feel the anger radiating off her form,

"—your face," he concluded. She had easy access to his face and he was at a clear disadvantage. He decided it was best not to test her patience. Instead, he closed his eyes. "It's just a joke, Spock. Lighten up."

She raised an eyebrow, all anger forgotten. "Did you really just call me Spock?"

"If the pointy ears fit."

She snorted at his response, "I suppose that makes you McCoy, then?"

He opened her eyes and sent her a mock glare. "It's 'cause I'm southern, ain't it?

"Not at all," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're sarcastic to a fault and you've got the scowl down pat. From what I hear, you're also a skeptic. The accent just tips the scale in your favor just a bit."

"That's a shame. When I was a kid, I wanted to be like Captain Kirk. I mean, I'd run around the house pretendin' I was the captain of my own damn starship," he said, smiling slightly. "Now I know that being a hero is mighty hard work. I'd rather be the sidekick."

"You know," Juliet said suddenly, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I think you're pretty heroic, James. You don't need a starship or a cape, hell; you don't even have to be a nice person. We lived on the same beach. I know how far you go for the people you care about. Believe it or not, you _are _a hero."

"Whatever you say Ms. Lane," he scoffed. In reality, he was trying his best to hide the appreciation he felt at her compliment. "You can choose to believe in whatever you want."

"I choose to believe in you, James," she said, smiling softly.

He looked up at her and wondered what a woman like her was doing here with him. It didn't make any sense to him at all. Granted, they were just friends and nothing more, but even their friendship was strange to him. They had once been enemies and he had despised her even when she claimed to have defected from the others' camp. However, the moment he had washed up on that beach and locked eyes with her, all that had melted away. Tabula rasa.

Yet, despite those barriers being broken, he still couldn't understand what kept her around. Sure, he was really easy on the eyes and a god in bed, but he was sure that didn't interest her at all. She saw and brought out things within him that he didn't know he possessed. She believed in him even though he was close to giving up on himself. He knew it wasn't pity that she felt towards him. It was something else… something he couldn't quite place.

He realized he had been staring at her for quite some time. She was looking down at him curiously. When he suddenly looked away from her she said, "You know, you could just take a picture; it lasts longer."

"Ha, ha," he said, dryly. "You should really think of bein' a comedian."

"I try."

"It must be six o'clock in the morning or something. I wasn't planning on waking up this early," Sawyer said as he closed his eyes again and turned sideways, laying his cheek on the top of her thigh. "I think I'm gonna try to go to sleep again."

"And when was it exactly that I volunteered to be your personal pillow?"

"I woke up this way because you just couldn't help yourself."

Juliet could feel her cheeks growing hot from both anger and embarrassment. "You know very well that you—"

"If you find some way to help me fall back asleep," he said, yawning, "then I'll promise to never bring this up again."

"There won't be any mocking?"

He sighed, "Though it pains me to let this one go, I value sleep more than mockery. I'm sure I'll find some better material in due time."

"Could I possibly have that in writing?"

He chuckled. "What? You don't trust me or something?"

"Or something," she replied teasingly. After a few moments, she pressed two hands to both his temples and said, "Just listen to the sound of my voice, James. You'll be asleep within the next five minutes."

"How do I know you're not trying to hypnotize me?"

"You don't," she said simply. "You're just going to have to trust me."

"Whatever, Houdini," he said, chuckling. "Work your magic."

She cleared her throat, took a deep breath and began massaging his temples. Then, she suddenly began to sing:

"Good night you moonlight ladies,  
Rock-a-bye Sweet Baby James  
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose  
Won't you let me go down in my dreams  
And rock-a-bye sweet Baby James…"

She began to sing the second verse of the song, but stopped once she heard a rather loud snoring sound from her lap. Had he really fallen asleep that quickly? The effect had never been so immediate, even when she had sung to Zach and Emma.

At first, she thought he was merely humoring her. She remained still, his head still balancing precariously on the curve of her thigh. After a few minutes, she realized that he had truly fallen asleep. Not one to make the same mistake twice, Juliet gently pulled her leg out from under him and placed a pillow in its stead. With any luck, he would think it was just a dream.

Juliet sighed as she stood up, only to fall flat on her face moments after. She bit her lip as her body crashed to the ground and pain shot through her leg. Though the injury was painful, she did not scream. She didn't want to disturb his slumber even though the son-of-a-bitch was partly responsible for her fall.

She massaged her thigh, which had fallen asleep during their long conversation, and decided that, if ever faced with a situation like this again, she would just shove him off without a second thought. Even though it had felt nice being able to see the vulnerable side that he hid so carefully, the feeling wasn't worth the subsequent humiliation and mockery.

Grabbing a fist full of blankets, Juliet attempted to lift herself off the bed but froze when she noticed something lying next to her foot. Though the room had not yet been bathed in sunlight, she recognized the object immediately and felt her blood run cold at the sight.

It was a rose.

It wasn't the object itself that caused her fear; it was the color of its petals. Even in the darkness she knew it was black. She didn't have to be adept in the language of flowers to know what it symbolized. Someone, somewhere, wanted her dead and they were close enough to be able to place the rose by her bedside whilst she slept.

She stood up shakily and walked to the bathroom, feeling the fear dissipate with every step. It was common knowledge that the others were quite a ruthless bunch, but there were no miracle workers. They could not disappear and appear through will alone. As long as she recognized that her enemies were only human, she could easily think of her next possible course of action.

Her fingers, now miraculously steady, grasped the knob on the sink and turned it to the left. A steady stream of water gushed from the faucet and, for a moment, she listened as her fingers lightly gripped the marble edges of the sink. It was her personal remedy for stress that dated back to the days of her philandering husband, to the times when she'd come home to the gasping and moaning of a 20-something traveling from the master bedroom. When she had first found out, she would lock herself in the bathroom and cry, curled up in the corner with her head pressed against her knees. The running water had served as a method to drown out the horrible sounds. Once she had come to accept the fact that her marriage was in shambles, she found solace in the bathroom, using only the faucet, rather than her tears to cope with her husband's infidelity.

Now, it was that little piece of stability that calmed her in her state of hysteria and allowed her to think clearly. She thought back to everything the other Dharma initiative members had said about her, trite or otherwise. There had to be something she was missing… something suspicious that she had simply forgotten.

She thought back to a few days ago, when she had been embarrassingly babysat by Roy. It had been one of the most fun-filled evenings she had ever had. He had made her feel special for those few hours he'd spend with her, but she knew there was something off about him. No, there was more to it than that… he had said _something_ that made her wary of him. What was—

Suddenly, Juliet turned off the faucet as a thought struck her like a bullet. She ran to the front door, slipped on a pair of Sawyer's shoes, and ran out of the house as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Juliet!" said a voice from behind her. She turned around, slightly annoyed at the interruption she turned around with a wide plastered smile. Her smile faltered slightly as she realized who it was.

"Tom," she said, refusing to grant him the courtesy of a greeting.

"Look, I'm sorry for the other day. I made a total ass of myself," he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm not asking for your forgiveness or anything, but I want you to know that I'm sorry for being a chauvinist pig."

Juliet sighed. She really didn't have time for this. "It's fine, Tom. You really didn't say anything to me that I haven't heard before. You shouldn't feel bad about it; you weren't the one who threatened to throw me to the wolves. You made a simple comment expressing what you thought, but it wasn't crass enough to make me angry."

"You're really something," Tom said, wistfully. He then blew his chocolate bangs out of his face in a way that was strangely endearing to her. He smiled and glanced at her, hopefully. "Maybe we could be friends?"

This time, Juliet truly smiled and lightly squeezed his surprisingly muscular shoulder with her left hand. "I would really like that."

He coughed suddenly and turned his head to the side to hide the blush rising to his cheeks in response to her smile. "Well now, Ms. Juliet. I'm on watch duty, so I have to stand outside of every building or house you enter."

Juliet sighed deeply. "I'm headed to Roy's house. I've got something I want to ask him about."

"Sure thing," Tom said. He allowed Juliet to walk a few paces in front of him so he could keep an eye out for any intruders. After a few moments added, "Though I have to warn you, the man's very offbeat."

"I think it's charming," Juliet lied. Tom raised an eyebrow and Juliet laughed again. "Okay, I find him a bit strange as well, but perhaps not for the reasons you do."

When they reached his door, Juliet took a deep breath before raising her fist to knock on the door.

"You shouldn't be so nervous," said Tom, his eyes twinkling with laughter. "He's an astrophysicist. I can definitely take him if something were to happen in there. Hell, I think you could take him." He stopped, thinking over what he had just said and added, nervously, "I mean that in a very non-sexist way."

"Thanks, Tom."

"No problem," he said, waving her off. "You sure you don't want me to come in with you?"

Juliet nodded quickly as she rapped on the door a little harder than intended. "I'm sure."

Within a few moments, a shadow appeared behind the small glass panes on the door. There was a telltale _click_ of the door's lock followed by a loud creaking sound before the door swung open to reveal the rather disheveled scientist.

For one small moment, Juliet truly believed that she had been wrong in her deduction. This rather small, sleepy, slightly cute man standing before her couldn't possibly be the culprit, right? His boxer shorts had smiley faces on them for God's sake.

However, then she remembered the chilling words he had whispered to her earlier. _YOUR SECRET'S SAFE WITH ME._

It couldn't hurt to question the guy, smiley face boxers be damned.

"Juliet," Roy said, smiling brightly. "I've been expecting you. Though I actually thought you'd come knocking at my door sooner."

"Sure you did," Tom whispered as he rolled his eyes.

"Come in," he said, ignoring her companion's comment.

"I'm actually going to stay out—"

"I was talking to Juliet," Roy said simply as he encircled his hand around her wrist lightly. "You're supposed to stay put and make sure no one comes near her."

"Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"Should I get a ruler, or can we get on with it?" Juliet asked, rolling her eyes. "It wasn't my intention to stand here and listen to your bickering."

"Sorry, Juliet," Tom said as he placed his hands in his pockets and began to walk down the steps leading to Roy's house. "I'll be waiting here for you."

"Thanks," she said as she waved at him before allowing Roy to lead her inside his house.

As she heard the door close behind them, the fear began to well up in her chest again. She nearly regretted refusing Tom's help earlier. However, there was something much more important than her fears that could perhaps be the very reason someone was targeting her.

Juliet jerked her hand from Roy's grasp and backed a few paces away from him so that she was a bit closer to the door. "I'm going to be completely honest with you; I don't trust you, Roy."

If she was hoping for an explosion of indignation, she had come to the wrong man. The man in front of her didn't even humor her at all. He simply laughed with a strange sort of abandon. It made her want to slam his back against the wall.

When he finished laughing and wiping the tears from his eyes he said. "So you think _I'm_ the culprit? I know I may be a little odd, Juliet, but that's no reason for you to go pointing fingers all over the place. You don't even have any solid proof."

"Don't patronize me," she said through grated teeth. "You said you knew my secret. How can you say something like that and not expect me to be suspicious."

"I said that your secret was safe with me," he said, a trace of a smile still on his face. "That doesn't mean I would write horribly dramatic words on your mirror. It's much too theatrical; I'd have done it in a much more practical way."

"I'm sure you would have," Juliet retorted. Her cheeks were growing hot from embarrassment and she was starting to think she had been very wrong about her hunch indeed. "I don't have anything to hide that you could possibly want to keep safe—"

"Of course you do!" he exclaimed, cheerily. "You're from the future."

Juliet's eyes widened and she felt her heart speed up suddenly. She opened her mouth to respond, but found that she was only capable of opening and closing her mouth looking very much like a goldfish.

Roy took this opportunity to grab her hand again and lead her to the dining room sitting area, the very same place they had sat a few days ago when he had confirmed his suspicions about her time traveling escapades.

"I suppose you need an explanation?"

She simply nodded, unable to even string two words together.

"It's very hard to explain," he said, holding his chin in his hand. "I knew it the moment I met you. I wasn't just flattering you when I said you were different from the others. The way you carry yourself and the way you talk is different. At first, I thought it was a hunch but, when you came here, you confirmed my suspicions. You said you didn't belong here because you chose not to belong, that you wanted to distance yourself from people. I knew it was probably because you don't want them to remember you or something.

"I was certain that you were from the future when you commented about my movie reel. It's brand new for this era, very rare and very expensive. For you to have hinted that you'd seen one was preposterous. You sounded like it was an antique or something rather than a new innovation. "

"Well," Juliet said, still in awe, "I wasn't expecting this at all. I don't know what to say except that you're a regular Sherlock Holmes."

"When I find something fascinating, I have to see it through to the very end," he said, smiling. "However, I don't want you to think that I planned this discovery. I really did want to get to know you better because you're fascinating as well. I only wish you could see it yourself but, then again, I suppose that 's part of your charm."

"I'm sorry," Juliet said suddenly, feeling ashamed of herself. "I shouldn't have accused you outright like that. I should have talked to you first. You kept my secret for these few months even though you have an obligation to the Dharma Initiative. For that you have my greatest trust and gratitude."

"I knew you didn't really believe I was capable of threatening you. You're strong and you stick to your convictions even though you may be wrong. I think that's laudable and that your suspicions weren't completely unfounded."

Juliet nodded, feeling awkward in front of this man who knew too much for his own good. "I should probably get going then. If I get back, I can get a few more hours in before the day really starts. You should probably head back to bed as well, Roy. Sorry for waking you up so early for nothing. I suppose I will see you around."

Just as she began to turn around, Roy launched himself at her. She almost yelled, fearing that he was about to harm her, but the scream died on her lips as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. It was a desperate embrace, not a comforting one. He held on as though he never wanted to let go, as though he was frightened for her.

"Be careful, Juliet," he whispered as he pressed his face into her shoulder. "Please be careful. Just know that if anything happens to you…"

"I might fracture the space-time continuum?" she added weakly.

"I might just lose it," he said abruptly.

"You don't even know me," she said quietly. "If anything happens, you should just continue to live your life as always."

"I know enough, Juliet. I really do care about you as more than just an experiment or something to test my theories against. You're the first person in this place that looks me in the eye and isn't deterred by my odd personality. You didn't know who I was but I got to know who you were just by watching you interact with those you cared about. You accept me and I…well, I love you."

Juliet paused for a long time before she spoke, choosing her words carefully. "I believe you."

If he found her response strange, he didn't show it. He released her hesitantly and nodded as he stared into her eyes, looking very relieved. "Thank you. That's all I needed to hear. You should get back to Lafleur."

Juliet blushed again for the umpteenth time. "That's enough out of you. I'm not even going to ask how you knew I was staying there."

"The security guard was standing outside his house instead of yours this morning. I put two and two together."

"Well we just slept, it was completely innocent. I don't want those dirty cogs to start turning now," she said with a mock scowl. Then, her face softened as she placed her hand on the door knob to leave. As she flung the door open, she looked at him over her shoulder and said, "Thanks…for everything."

As the door shut behind her, Juliet let out the breath she felt she had been holding during their conversation. She was happy that he wasn't the culprit, but she now she had absolutely nothing to work with except for the black rose. Whoever had placed it by her bedside had to have seen the flower in her hair the night before. Most likely, that was where they had gotten the idea in the first place. Said person also had to have been able to sneak into Sawyer's bedroom without alerting the security guard on duty. It didn't make sense at all.

"Don't move, Blondie."

Juliet froze and just like that, all the pieces fit together like a sinister jigsaw puzzle.

She felt a man's hand on the small of her back gently ushering her forward. "Keep walking and smiling like we're having a conversation or I'll kill that geek friend of yours," the man said, his voice filled with venom.

She forced her lips upward in a shaky smile. "You're going to kill me, right?"

"That's right."

Juliet sighed, realizing there wasn't much else she could really do. She knew he had an accomplice and if she injured his partner, said partner might kill more innocent people just to get to her. No, it was much better to come quietly.

"Can you do me a favor, then?"

He chuckled, and the sound sent shivers down her spine. "You're not in the position to make a bargain with me."

"It's my dying wish," she said, smiling wryly. "All the best murders listen to a victim's dying wish and the better ones have integrity and fulfill those wishes."

"I suppose I'll humor you. However, that depends on what it is."

"I want to say goodbye to James. I promise I there won't be any funny business. He's sleeping and he probably won't even hear me. If he wakes up, I'll just say you're escorting me in and we're about to leave."

"You love him?" he said, and she could almost hear the sneer in his voice.

"I don't know," she said sadly, "But, now, I suppose I'll never find out."

"You won't, Blondie. There's no way out of this. For that reason, I'll let you talk to him. If you try to tell him what's going on, I'll slit your throat.

"Duly noted."

He followed her into Sawyer's house, through the hallway, and into his bedroom and watched as she climbed into bed and sat up next to him as she had earlier that morning. Her fingers trembled as she threaded them through his hair slowly.

"James?" she said, softly. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. You've opened my heart, a heart that has become so cold and dead after all these years of pain. With you, I've done things I would have never done had I never met you. Remember that spectacular food fight or the race to the dock? I remember when you hugged me and, even though I was completely naked, in those strong arms of yours and I felt completely safe for once in my life. I hurled my fifty-thousand dollar wedding ring into the ocean just because you told me I should. I feel so free around you, like I could fly if I really wanted, like everything around us melted away when we were together. You were James and I was Juliet and we didn't expect each other to be anything other than what we were

"I wanted to end my life within moments of coming here. You gave me a reason to keep pressing on, to keep_ living_ even though nothing in this life has turned out quite the way I wanted it to be. I fought through the pain knowing I had a companion, a best friend who would always have my back no matter what. I want you to keep living even when I'm gone, James. Keep living and don't let people tell you who you are. You can be whoever you want to be. If I believe in anything, I believe in you, James."

She heard a cough from behind her and a gruff voice telling her to "wrap it up".

The tears were falling before she could stop them. "I feel something for you that I can't explain. I don't know what the hell to call it. It seems that, even in death, I find it difficult to express my feelings adequately. I guess I'm falling in love with you, James. Perhaps I'm already there, perhaps not. I'll never know for sure. I know that if I'm falling into this thing called love, I want you to catch me. But I don't have that choice now; death will catch me first.

Juliet then pressed her two palms on either side of his face. As she inched closer, her hair fell over her shoulder like a curtain blocking both her and James from view of her soon-to-be murderer. What she felt now was different from what she had felt this morning. At that time, she had been full of hesitation, of blind wonder. Now, she was crying silently and yet her resolve had stiffened. Hesitating for only a second, she closed the distance between them, pressing her lips desperately against his. Her tears were falling unto his face like rain and she could taste them on her lips as she kissed him.

Then she slowly lifted her head, tears blurring her vision as she looked upon him one last time "Goodbye, James."

She turned toward her captor and nodded as she slid out of the bed, her face eerily calm once again. "I'm ready."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not going to kill you here. That would be too obvious. "

He grabbed one of her t-shirts from her nightstand and said, "Lift your hair up."

She did as she was told and stood silently as he tied the cloth around her eyes and the nape of her neck. "You can let go now."

He navigated her out of the house, pressing his palm to the small of her back once more. It only took them a few moments to arrive at the destination. Juliet heard the door open and felt him push her inside. Once the door slammed behind her, he shoved her into a chair. It was hard, wooden perhaps, and there was a cushion on the seat.

"Well, well, well," said a voice. It was distinctly _female_, which greatly surprised Juliet. "Look what the cat brought in."

"It was surprisingly easy to bring her here. That security team is full of a bunch of idiot losers who don't know their head from their ass."

"Excellent work, Dave," she said, the approval evident in her voice. "Now the fun really begins."

Before Juliet could even utter a word, she suffered a blow to the head from a blunt object and her world became still.

* * *

Sorry! This took a really long time again, but I've been preparing for college so I haven't had much time, seeing as this is my first year. What did you think? Did you see the ending coming? He he. I wonder if anyone has figured out who the mastermind is. It's really hard to figure out, but, like I said, it shows continuity with an event in the early episodes of season 5.

This chapter was inspired by the song "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by the Manhattans. The title really fit the chapter, I think. I really love the song; it's a 70s classic. Anyways, I don't know when I'll update next. I may surprise you. Or not. We'll see.

Miki-hime


	17. Fools in Love

Fools in Love

When Sawyer woke up, he tasted salt on his lips. He immediately sat up and placed his hand to his face, feeling a sticky substance on his cheek. It had been a while since he tasted tears. He remembered the nights following his parents' death, when the anger would mingle with sorrow and the dam inside him would break. He allowed himself a few days of weakness, just a few days and then his childhood ended and the anger returned. He never cried again after that.

So when he woke up, with tears staining his cheeks, he knew they were not of his own making. He knew immediately whom they belonged to, as she was the only one sleeping next to him last night. However, though the deduction made logical sense, Sawyer had trouble accepting it. As far as he knew, Juliet didn't shed tears for anyone, not even herself. She wasn't the type of girl that teared up easily because of trivial things. If she had cried, on his face no less, then it must have been serious.

With that thought in mind, Sawyer sprang out of bed and threw on his Dharma jumpsuit before searching his entire house for the snarky blonde.

"JULIET!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as he opened doors, cupboards, and, hell, even drawers, in order to find her. "JULIET, DAMMIT!"

It just didn't make any sense. There was no sign of a struggle, no indication of foul play but, for some reason, it just didn't _feel_ right that she was missing. She never just left him, even when she woke up before him. She'd usually be in the kitchen sipping a cup of coffee or in the sitting room, her feet dangling off the edge of the love seat, with a book in her hands. He'd come in, still groggy from sleep, and she would turn and smile at him before making some smart-ass remark about his sleeping pattern.

She lived there without really living there. When she left, he could always feel her presence. He couldn't get rid of her if he tried. A spare toothbrush lay behind the cabinet in the bathroom, the pages of his books, his bed sheets, and the couch smelled faintly of lavender, a small brown circle marred his linoleum floor due to their cooking lessons, a bright smile warmed his heart…

He clenched his fists, walked back to the bedroom, and sat on the bed, trying to think rationally. Sure it was strange that she had left, and that she had been crying before she had done so, but what did it all really mean? For all he knew, today could be a sentimental day for her. Maybe she was sitting in her house right now, baking a cake for someone else who she felt she had failed. Maybe he was overreacting.

He stood up again, deciding to head for Juliet's house, but as he did so, he felt a searing pain in his left foot .

"Son-of-a-bitch!" he yelled to no one in particular. He held his wounded foot in his hand as he hopped around the room in agony. A few moments later he lost his balance and tumbled to the ground. Annoyed, he searched the ground for the offending object.

The black rose lay on the floor a few inches away from him, just as it had earlier that morning. He picked it up of the floor and twirled the stem slowly in his fingers examining it at every angle, his mind now working in overdrive. He knew black roses were impossible to obtain naturally. Who ever had placed it inside his room must have painstakingly altered the rose, a process that must have taken months to get right, just so either him or Juliet would see it.

Sawyer knew full well the power of hatred. Next to adrenaline, there was no drug quite like it. It consumed the soul, blackened the heart, perpetuated insanity. The person who had decided to grow this rose, in this particular color, for however long it had taken, had hatred buried within. Sawyer imagined he must have been unhinged in some way…

He jumped up again, ignoring the pain he induced in his foot as he did so. If the person who had done this was filled with this much hatred, he or she must be just about ready to release all that pent up emotion. If that was the case, he had to find Juliet quickly and get her to safety, and quickly. He shuddered to think about the alternative.

* * *

When Juliet woke up, she tasted blood on her lips. She slowly opened her eyes and attempted to press her fingers to her lips to access the damage, but found that her arms were bound tightly to some sort of wooden chair. Ah, she thought, that's more like it. She was beginning to think that her life was returning to normal.

Her head was throbbing so badly that it was a small miracle that she was able to keep her eyes open at all. Fragments of memories were slowly coming together in her mind but everything was still fuzzy. She couldn't remember for the life of her why she was tied to a chair on a Tuesday afternoon. Such things were better left to Saturdays.

"I _told _you she'd come around if I hit her enough," said Dave, smugly as he gestured to her. "I didn't hit her hard enough to cause brain damage."

"We need to keep her alive long enough for Lafleur to see her," hissed his red-headed companion. "If you kill her, we've lost our bargaining chip, idiot!"

"Chips?" quipped Juliet, eyes wide with glee. "I would kill for some of those right now. Do you happen to have sour cream and onion?"

"What the hell is she talking about?" asked Dave.

Then, they heard it: the distant sound of knocking followed by muffled, frantic shouts. The two kidnappers looked at each other for a moment. The redhead smiled.

"It was about time he showed up, "she said, glancing at her nails. "I was beginning to believe we made a miscalculation. It seems this woman is worth something to him after all."

Dave grinned before asking, "What do we do now?"

Less than a second later, he had his answer. The sound of a gunshot rang through the air. The man screamed in agony as he gripped his leg. Blood began to seep through the fabric of his Dharma jumpsuit and the redhead watched it with a morbid fascination in her eyes.

"Stop being such a baby. Go up there before Lafleur knocks the door down, Dave. If he sees that you're not there, the whole plan will go to hell," she ordered as she stood over him, gun still cocked. She didn't seem at all guilty about what she'd done. There was a mad gleam in her eyes as she stared at his anguished eyes. "I want him to squirm. Make him squirm for me. Punish him for what he's done."

He nodded through the pain.

She then smiled and kissed him. When their lips parted, he stared at her for a moment, smiling. She returned the gesture, but her eyes remained cold. He propped himself up on her shoulder, sent her one last smile, and limped away into the darkness.

"That was pretty twisted," Juliet said, once she was sure he was out of earshot. "But I guess no love story's complete without a gunshot wound."

"There is no love story," the redhead said simply. "Only a story of manipulation."

"Whatever gets you through the day," Juliet responded, smiling.

The captor smirked and plopped down on the floor in front of her, "You're not even going to ask me who I am?"

Juliet shrugged. "Why waste my breath asking, when you're just going to tell me anyway? It's necessary protocol for all revenge seeking kidnappers. The monologue will come eventually; it's a necessary evil. I do hope it's interesting, though, since you haven't even had the courtesy to give me any reading material."

"I like you, Juliet. You remind me of myself," said the red head, grinning. Then, she sighed and added, "It's a shame I'm going to have to kill you. To make it up to you, I promise to give your story a poetic conclusion."

"Why not just kill me, then?" Juliet asked as the haze began to clear more rapidly. "Why do you have to bring James into it? I'm sure what happened was my fault. I've accepted my fate. He has nothing to do with this."

The woman stopped smiling and shouted, "He has everything to do with this!"

"I find that hard to believe," said Juliet, eyebrow raised. "It's really difficult to be responsible for _everything_ unless you're a god or something. James doesn't even come close."

"You think this is funny, don't you?" the woman asked as she began to circle Juliet's like a shark. "You honestly think I'm not going to do anything to you. Well, you're wrong. I fully intend to kill you in front of Lafleur. He should know the feeling of losing someone he loves."

Juliet gave her a strange look, then tipped back her head and laughed. The sound resonated off the walls of the walls of the room sending shivers down Juliet's spine. Her body's reaction made her laugh even harder, as if she was feeding off of her own contemptuous intent. They had a deep friendship, deeper than she could have ever imagined a few months ago and, yes, perhaps she was beginning to fall in love with him. But there was no chance in hell that he felt the same way about her. That would be the day.

"You're wrong," Juliet said breathless from laughter. "James doesn't love me like you think he does. You've got the wrong girl. The girl you're looking for is long gone. Good luck trying to find her now."

"You're a fool," said the woman, shaking her head. "I suppose it gives new meaning to the phrase "only fools fall in love". In the end, it only causes pain. When you lose that person you truly care about, you feel like your heart has been ripped to pieces. Is it worth it? Is love really worth all that agony?"

"It's better to have loved and lost then to never know love at all," Juliet said, treading over her words carefully. This woman in front of her was clearly a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps if she could crack her shell just a little bit, direct her anger towards herself rather than Sawyer…

"You're a coward," Juliet said suddenly, after a short period of silence.

The woman narrowed her eyes and took a step closer to Juliet. "Excuse me? I would watch my tongue if I were you. You're not in the position to make such careless comments. One more word out of you and I'll rip your tongue out."

"You lost someone you love, that I understand. You want to seek revenge, right? Understandable as well," Juliet said, looking steadily into the woman's icy blue eyes. "However, your reasons for seeking revenge have nothing to do with him and everything to do with your selfish need to assert yourself. You think love has made you weak and you want to destroy everything that remind you of how that weakness has completely destroyed you."

"Shut up!" The woman screamed. Her palm connected with her face before Juliet could say another word. "Shut the hell up! You don't know what you're talking about!"

She launched herself at her, her fists connecting with various parts of Juliet's body. Through it all, even though the pain searing throughout her body, she didn't show any signs of pain. Instead, looked at her captor, her eyes filed with icy disgust.

"Why. Won't. You. SCREAM?!" The woman yelled, ending each sentence with another punch. The wooden chair began to creak and splinter under the added pressure. "Scream for mercy, you insufferable bitch!"

_That's it,_ Juliet thought, fighting through the pain. _Just kill me now. I'll take all the responsibility. Let out all your anger on me. Please, please don't hurt him. _

The woman punched her one last time, and Juliet suspected she used the last of her strength to do so. She dug her fingers into her shoulders, and Juliet had to bite her tongue to stop herself from screaming.

"I'm going to make you suffer," the woman whispered into her ear before slapping her again. "I see through your ruse. You thought I'd forget, that I'd simply transfer my hatred elsewhere? Don't underestimate me!"

"Don't flatter yourself. You almost lost your control; you're not as cold as you'd like people to believe and you allowed me to see that." Juliet laughed aridly as she looked into her captor's eyes, suddenly unafraid of what was to come. "Don't you see? You so easily transferred your anger to me. You don't have a purpose in this other than to vent your anger on someone, _anyone._ It doesn't matter if it's me, James, or Dave. You're just a slave to your emotions."

"Or maybe I just wanted to teach you a lesson," she said in an attempt to gain her composure. However, the damage had already been done. "You and I are going to wait here until _your_ lapdog finds us. Until then, shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you."

Juliet smiled knowingly, but said no more. She had cracked the woman in front of her and, though she had not succeeded in taking her mind off of James, she knew there was hope for her yet. The wooden poles that supported the back of her chair were now splintered due to the woman's onslaught. Though it would take her a few hours and a bit more pain, she was certain she would be able to free herself. By the time Sawyer arrived, she would prove to them all that she wasn't just some damsel in distress; she was a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

"Juliet!" Sawyer shouted as he knocked on her door frantically. "Open this damn door!"

There was no response. Sawyer felt a cold chill wash over him as he knocked once more. "Juliet! If you're in there, open the door! This isn't a joke! If you don't answer me in five seconds, I'm breaking down this door!"

There was a pregnant pause, during which Sawyer could have sworn her heard a muffled scream of pain. The sound was all the invitation he needed. Stepping back a few steps, he lifted the sole of his boot and crashed it down upon the door with all his strength.

The door didn't stand a chance in hell. It tumbled to the ground with a resounding _thud._ Sawyer didn't waste any time making his entrance. He first checked the living room, which happened to be her favorite spot in her home. The place looked immaculate as usual, sans a single overturned book on the coffee table. One of these days, he would somehow change her mind about the "blasphemous dog-ear book marking technique".

He shook his head. Now was definitely not the time for scheming; he needed to find Juliet. He needed to make sure she was safe from harm.

Sawyer swiftly made his way into the kitchen and then paused as he arrived at her bedroom. He always paused before he entered her room. It wasn't something he did out of courtesy. No, he had never been the gentlemanly type. There was something about the room, or perhaps the idea of it that made him feel very nervous. He supposed it was just one of life's big mysteries, something he woul never fully come to understand.

Lord, if Hibbs, the miserable son-of-a bitch could see him now. Give him a mark, any assignment and he was suave and charming, god's freaking gift to woman. Place him in front of a beautiful, sarcastic lady doctor and he was reduced to a twelve-year -old boy. Perhaps if Hibbs had been privy to this bit of information, he wouldn't have been as keen to send him straight to hell.

Sawyer took a breath, ignoring the churning feeling in his stomach. He lifted his knuckles, hesitating for a moment before rapping hard on the wooden surface of her door.

"Juliet! You home?"

Silence, then a muffled moaning sound. Sawyer chuckled, feeling the fear drain from his body. "You mean to tell me that you've been sleeping this entire time? " He wrapped his hand around the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. "If you ever call me "Sleeping Beauty" again, I'll—"

He stopped talking immediately. Coming into the room, he had expected to see her laying on the bed, perhaps covering her head with a pillow to block out the noise. The bed, contrary to his predictions, was fully made. That was only the first inconsistency that struck him as he quickly glanced over the room. The other was the thin trail of blood that had seeped though her carpet. It began at the door, curving around and disappearing behind the other side of the bed.

For a split second, he considered running away and leaving her body just as it was. No one would know he had come; he would destroy the security tapes. They would figure it out on their own once the security team discovered they had lost their mark.

He didn't want to see her, not like this, not when he was surrounded by painful reminders of her existance. Images of her, with her earth-shattering smile and kind eyes flashed through his mind. He could feel her fingers running through his hair and the comforting warmth of her lap, her voice repeating in a loop in her mind: _I believe in you, I believe in you, I believe in you._

He wasn't sure if he was hearing ghosts, or if it was a memory from a dream but it was enough to push him forward. Though he wasn't sure he was ready for the sight that awaited him, he knew that she deserved much better than this. She deserved more than this; she deserved justice. He would overcome his fear of loss to give her dignity in death at the very least.

He walked with slow, almost mechanical steps toward the bed, keeping his eyes trained on the trail of blood, bracing himself for the glassy look of death in her eyes and the stain of blood on her skin.

The first thing he saw were big brown boots, one of which was stained in blood. His body almost crumbled to the floor as the relief washed over him in waves. Boots. _Male_ boots, just like the ones tied to his feet. Boots Juliet wouldn't be caught dead in, pun completely and unabashedly intended.

He knelt down next to the body, trying to get a good look at the victim's face. He was a member of the security team, given the stitching on his Dharma jumpsuit. His suit didn't have a name, however, which meant he was an entry level guard, a rookie. Blood stained the front of his jumpsuit and his fingers. Sawyer's eyes traveled further until they landed on his face. A purple bruise marred his otherwise attractive face, his blond hair was covered in blood, and he was… shivering?

Despite the annoyance he had felt towards this man previously, he would have never wished for something like this to happen to him. Sure, he was an arrogant, smart mouthed bastard who had deserved that satisfying punch in his face, but he most certainly didn't deserve to die.

"Dave? Dave, can ya hear me?"

The man, still shivering, nodded. Then he gripped the fabric of James's jumpsuit and looked into his eyes fearfully. "They took her, Jim. I couldn't do anything about it. He shot me in the leg and just left me for dead. I was the security guard this morning, after Tom. I suppose they were working together. Him and that dorky scientist bastard. They came in here, totting guns! He slapped her, beat her up, you know? They took her away; I couldn't do anything about it. I'm really sorry!"

"It's okay, Dave," Sawyer said. It wasn't okay. His world was still fucked up in the worst kind of way. He wasn't going to waste his anger on this man, who had at least tried to save Juliet's life. He had much bigger fish beat the hell out of at the moment. "I'll call the security team, let them know where you are so they can get you some medical assistance. Just hang tight, you're gonna be okay."

"Where will you go?"

Sawyer stared at him as though it was painfully obvious. "I'm gonna go kill somebody."

* * *

Sometimes, people have those moments where they can't control the words that come out of their mouths. Roy Davis had those moments constantly. Sometimes he wondered if he had some kind of disorder, one that had not yet been classified. At first, he thought himself a compulsive liar, but he knew it was a false diagnosis. His lies were not compulsive; they were purposeful. He lied to protect people from the truth, not because he wanted to impress them.

He didn't often care what people thought of him. They thought him a dorky scientist, a recluse who had lost touch with reality. Perhaps he had, in a way. He didn't expect them to be cordial to him; people are often apprehensive and defensive towards that which they could not understand.

When he had made that promise, many years ago, he never would have thought things would have played out like this. He had thought that woman had been driven crazy because of the life she had led and had taken everything she said with a grain of salt.

She had been right; he did fall in love with Juliet. He had prepared himself to hate her, to completely ignore her, just to prove the other woman wrong. When he had first seen Juliet, walking with that pretty blush on her face as she pulled her shorts down uncomfortably, he knew he was in over his head. He had meant to keep it to himself, as though it would make the feeling a little less real. Instead, he blurted it out without a thought. Of all the lies he had told Juliet, he wanted to tell her something _real_. He didn't care that she didn't love him back, he had come to accept it. As long as she was happy with Lafleur, he didn't have a problem—

"OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!"

_Speak of the devil and he shall appear,_ he thought shaking his head. Had he heard already? No. Juliet wouldn't tell him something like that no matter how good of a friendship they had formed. It had to be something else.

He sighed as he walked towards the door, wishing that he wasn't part of the drama for once in his life. His fingers pulled back the small fabric curtains covering the panels in the door, revealing a very angry Sawyer. "Before I let you in, you have to tell me what you're here for. I doubt you want to borrow a cup of sugar at this early hour."

Roy flinched a little as Sawyer's fist banged against the small window pane which cracked upon impact. "You know, you could just tell me what's wrong. If you're looking for Juliet—"

"Don't you dare say her name!"

"Fine, Fine!" He said holding up his hands in front of himself defensively. "If you're looking for the extremely attractive blond who occasionally shacks up in your apartment and smells peculiarly of lavender, you're looking in the wrong place."

When he punched the window this time, it shattered. Roy barely had enough time to dodge bloody fist and the wayward shards. "WHERE. IS. SHE?"

"I. Don't. Know." Roy said, mimicking him. "I thought she was with you. I mean, she's always with you."

He didn't respond. Instead, he fit his bleeding hand through the broken window and unlocked the door. Before Roy had enough time to stop him, Sawyer swung unlocked the door and opened it. The door swung back with so much force that it hit and cracked the wall behind it.

"I know you're lying," Sawyer said, his fists clenched in rage. "I see you lookin' at her all the time. I ignored it because there's no harm in looking, is there? Who wouldn't look at her? But you didn't just look; you beat her up! You touched her with your filthy hands and I swear if you don't come up with an explanation in the next sixty seconds, Einstein, I'll break every one of your fingers, and then I'll kill you slowly."

"You idiot!" said Roy, who didn't seem the least bit intimidated. "You let your guard down. I trusted you to watch her and you lost her!"

"_Trusted_ me to watch her?" Sawyer asked, outraged. "You don't even know her!"

"I know her better than you know, perhaps even better than you! Don't talk about things you have absolutely no knowledge of! We're wasting time just talking about this. She's in a lot of danger. We may already be too late!"

"You're insane," Sawyer said, shaking his head. "You think because you stalk her that you know more about her than I do? I don't trust you, poindexter, and I'm not leaving this house until you give me one good reason why I should."

Roy sighed, suddenly feeling tired. "I'm in love with her, have been from the moment I saw her."

"You're going to have to do much better than that," Sawyer said, crossing his hands over his chest. "Astronauts from the space station could tell me that you're in love with her. You just gave me more of a reason not to trust you."

Roy didn't want to say this, not here, not now, not when Juliet was in danger. He had wanted to tell her, wanted to be there when the startling news slipped the ground from under her. He knew her real secret, a secret that even Juliet herself wasn't aware of. He'd been waiting almost three years, carrying the burden of a promise and a premonition. He didn't want Lafleur to take this away from him too.

"Juliet is not who you think she is," he said, choosing his words carefully.

"You had better explain what you mean. I 'aint gonna let you insult her on my watch, Socrates."

Roy sighed in aggravation; they were running out of time, and fast. "I don't mean that she's a bad person, Jim. There's a lot of things she doesn't know about herself. For instance, she was born on this island in 1971."

"Now I know that's a damn lie and you know it. If she was born in 1971, how is she a full grown woman in 1974. It just doesn't add up—"

"You can stop with your little ruse, Jim, I know you and your crew are from the future. I knew even before you were recruited as part of the DI. Well, I knew she was from the future, I figured the rest of you were as well. Don't worry," he began to say as Sawyer began to look worried, "I haven't told anyone. That should be reason enough for you to trust me, but I know better than to believe you'll accept it just like that."

"The hell I won't," Sawyer mumbled. "I don't trust you. I don't believe your cock and bull story about Juliet being born on this island. There 'aint a little blond girl running around this place that look like her. Her name's not on the registry. I would have noticed if it were."

"I never said her parents were in the Dharma initiative."

Sawyer's eyes widened as he processed this information. "You mean to tell me that she's—that she's an other?"

"If by "other" you mean hostile then, yes, she is. She probably doesn't remember, seeing as she was less than a year old at the time of her departure. Her sister was only two years older than her at the time. I believe her name was Rachael?"

Sawyer narrowed his eyes. "How the hell do you know that?"

"Her mother told me. I helped her escape after she saved my life. They were going to kill her because of what she had done; I couldn't let them do that to her. I hid them within the initiative and smuggled them off the sub years ago, but I knew that she'd come back one day in some capacity."

"How?"

"Juliet's mother, Erica, had a gift. She had visions of the future, though she never fully explained how or why that was possible. She told me that I would meet her daughter again, that I would fall in love with her. I thought it was ludicrous; I was 29 at the time and she was only a baby, the cutest little baby I had ever seen, but still just a baby. It would have been quite the age gap, wouldn't it? I didn't think she meant it like this, but she was right."

"Right," Sawyer said slowly, still eying Roy with suspicion. "You expect me to believe you, just like that?"

"There's much more to the story than what I've told you, of course," Roy said, turning towards a small book shelf to his left, "but I'm afraid we don't have much time for that right now." He grabbed a small, worn leather bound book from the shelf and handed it to Sawyer. "If you need proof, it's all in here, but you don't have much time to read it right now. You're just going to have to trust me. We have to work together to find her."

Sawyer stared at him for a few moments, trying to process all the information that had just been revealed to him. His story didn't seem fabricated and he looked sincere. Though he was still a bit apprehensive about this man, he could tell that he genuinely cared for Juliet. He knew he would have to trust him if he wanted to save her.

"Alright," Sawyer said grudgingly, slipping the small book into his pocket. "This doesn't mean I like you or anything."

Roy shrugged. "I don't expect you to. The only thing I want from you is an explanation. I want to know why you suspected me of kidnapping Juliet. You're the second person in one day."

"I went searching for Juliet at her house. I found Dave lying on the floor in her room; he had been shot in the leg by some intruder. He said you and Tom had come in carrying guns and that you had beaten Juliet and taken her away somewhere."

Roy held his chin in his hands, thinking. "It didn't strike you the least bit odd that he was in her bedroom, just laying there? He was supposed to keep watch over her house from the front, not follow her inside. And why didn't he radio the rest of the security team to tell them what had happened? Why did he just lay there?"

"He did seem pretty damn calm for a man who had been shot in the leg. He didn't even scream or make any noise when I knocked down the door and…" Sawyer thought back to the image of Dave, sprawled on the floor before continuing, "Come to think of it, there was blood all over his hands and the front of his uniform, but his pants… they looked like they hadn't been touched since he got shot. That blood came from somewhere else."

"Juliet," Roy whispered, clenching his fists. "Damn it!"

"Damn it is right," Sawyer growled. "I just radioed Horace and a few other guys. They rushed him in to go see the doctor. I should have killed him when I had the chance. I knew he was trouble the moment he suggested throwing her to the wolves. He was working with someone all this time and I had no idea. I couldn't protect her—"

"Don't speak in the past tense. I don't think she's dead just yet," Roy said.

"I know she's tough, but she 'aint Wonder Woman. There was too much… too much blood. He must have killed her."

"If he could have done this himself, what did he need an accomplice for? Or, rather, what did the accomplice need him for?" He sighed, feeling aggravated at Sawyers confused expression. "Dave isn't acting of his own volition; he's working for someone! I think they needed to keep Juliet alive, which means—"

"—that Juliet was never their target to begin with," Sawyer finished for him. He was beginning to understand it all now, the writing on the mirror, the kidnapping, the staged injury. "I was their target all along. They wanted to hurt her to get to me."

"Right," Roy said, a little annoyed that he wasn't able to dazzle Sawyer with the truth. "Someone has a vendetta against you, for whatever reason. I don't know who you angered but he or she is literally after your blood."

Sawyer glared at him. "Thanks, that makes me feel a whole lot better. What would I do without ya, Bill Nye?"

"I'm not sure who this "Bill Nye" character is, but that's not important right now. We've got to inform the security team about this; we're going to need all the help we can get on this. Hand me your radio."

Sawyer shook his head. "I'm not going to involve any more people in this. Enough is enough. Besides, we don't even know where the hell they took her."

"Says you," Roy said, rolling his eyes. "I happen to know exactly where she is, though it troubles me that someone else is aware of it."

"Clue me in any time you feel like it," Sawyer quipped sarcastically. "After all, we've got all the time in the world. It's not like she's in danger or anything so don't worry your pretty little head."

"Every section of the land occupied by the Dharma initiative was mapped to the centimeter when the we first found this island. The blueprints to all the houses are located in the security vault to be used for emergency situations such as this. However, one of the houses isn't completely charted. This is because I was the one who built it.

" I was one of the first people to come here in 1971, recruited because of my prowess in the field of astrophysics. They wanted to woo me, and all I wanted was a house of my own, a house that had secrets only I was privy to as its builder. Juliet is somewhere in that house, I know it."

"Don't you mean this house?" Sawyer asked, perplexed.

"No. Juliet lives in the house that I built, the same place I hid her, her mother, and her sister when I helped them escape. I left it for her, in case she actually came back as her mother predicted, and has remained unoccupied since they left. Whoever is after you found out about that house somehow and has probably been living there for a few months, having full access to all of the house's amenities."

"You mean this wacko has been right under our noses this whole time and we didn't even notice?"

Roy nodded. "If he's as cracked as I think he is, then this very well may be a suicide mission. You sure you don't want any backup?"

Sawyer shook his head as he adjusted the rifle on his shoulder. In his rage, he had completely forgotten he was carrying it. "This is my problem. I don't need no help from anyone."

"I'm in too, then," Roy said. "You're going to need my help to find the room, and I've always wanted to have a legitimate excuse to shoot someone."

"You're a bit of a wacko yourself," Sawyer said, looking at him oddly.

"Yeah," Roy said, reaching deep inside a nearby drawer and grabbing a pistol, "but I'm the best you've got."

They both stood there for a moment, looking at each other. Right then, they weren't completely different people, a scientist and a security officer. They were just two men, fearing for the life of a woman they cared about, both with a common goal in mind: to punish the person who dared lay a finger on her.

With that common goal in mind, the headed towards the direction of Juliet's house where, unbeknownst to them, their supposed damsel had nearly succeeded in severing the tight ropes that bound her wrists.

* * *

He, he. More about Juliet's mother in later chapters. I'm not going to go into too much details just yet. I left a few subtle clues on who her captor is in relation to the characters. I'll reveal her next chapter and give a little more insight into the time that Roy spent with Juliet's mother two years ago. I made Juliet's birth year 1970, which makes her 34, two years younger than Sawyer. The chapter was inspired by the song "Fools in Love" by Inara George. I'll let you decide who those fools really are. There was no Sawyer and Juliet interaction, but there will be a LOT of it next chapter, so don't worry about that. I haven't forgotten my priorities.

Please let me know what you think! I'm heading to college (as a freshman! Whoooooo!) in about 5 days and I can feel the stress coming from all directions. Writing helps me cope, but I don't think I'll be able to write much over the next few weeks. Feedback always makes me happy because it helps me become a better writer and also to gauge how many people enjoy or hate my story. Hopefully there are more of the former than the latter.

I don't use reviews as a bartering chip to update. I update when I have time and feel really happy when I see that people are taking the time to read what I have written. Thank you so much and, though I can't promise when the next update will be, I can definitely promise that I'll put my heart and soul into it.

Until next time,

Miki-hime

P.S: Thank you iHeartYou13 for pointing out the confusion with the unknown characters. I hope I cleared it up somewhat...Sorry about that. Me and my pronouns! Oh, and for those of you who may not remember, Dave was the security guard punched by Sawyer for callng Juliet a bitch in chapter 15, "All Along the Watchtower". The only person who remains unidentified is Dave's accomplice/boss.


	18. Sacrifice

Sacrifice

"Are you naturally that scruffy or does it come with practice?"

Sawyer's eye twitched as he followed the smug scientist back to Juliet's house. "You're really asking for it, aren't you?"

"Asking for what my southern friend?"

"My foot up your ass," Sawyer growled. "We don't have any time and you're here fooling around! She's already been hurt. The longer we take the more opportunities that son of a bitch has to hurt her!"

"You don't think I'm aware of that?" Roy stopped and turned to face him, his eyes filled with anger. "This is my only way of coping. The more I think of her pain, the more I won't be able to think straight. You're not the only one that loves her, you know."

"Keep moving," Sawyer said as he placed his hands on Roy's back and pushed him forward. "And you've got the wrong idea. I don't love her."

"You do," said Roy, leaving no room for argument. "You might not be ready to tell her yet, but I know you feel something for her. You look at her the same way I look at her."

"I sure as hell hope not," said Sawyer, shuttering. "You look pathetic when you look at her. "

"I'd rather be pathetic than a coward who's too afraid of my own feelings," Roy quipped as he climbed up the stairs to Juliet's home. He glanced down at the fallen door and back at James, shaking his head. "You did this, didn't you? With you around, she doesn't need psychopathic kidnappers to freak her out."

Sawyer pushed Roy again, nearly making him lose his balance. "You're lucky that you're helping me out or I would have wrung your neck by now."

"If you tried, I would break all your fingers," Roy said, smiling.

Somehow, Sawyer didn't doubt him for a second. There was something a little odd about the man in front of him. Nothing seemed to faze him.

He decided to change the subject. "Why do you like her, anyway? She doesn't seem to be your type."

"I would say the same about you," he retorted as he walked toward the living room, past the table with the copy of Alice and Wonderland on its surface. "I see the same things in her that you see, Jim. She's beautiful, kind, and strong. She doesn't judge a book by its cover and sees what lies beneath the surface."

Sawyer didn't answer. Roy was right, of course. Juliet was all of those things and more, but he wasn't about to admit it to a stranger when he had a hard time admitting to himself that he was beginning to see her that way.

Roy stopped abruptly right in front of the coat closet next to the kitchen. He stared at it, looking almost frightened.

"Is this it?"

Roy nodded but made no move to open the door.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked, turning to Sawyer. "Whoever did this to her is probably not in her right mind."

Sawyer kicked the door down with his boot and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Does that answer your question?"

Roy grinned at him. "And they say _I_ have a flair for the theatrics."

He knelt down and pressed his palms to the back of the closet. He slid the wall to the side, revealing a stone staircase.

If Sawyer was surprised at this development, he didn't show it.

"Let's go get her," he said to Roy, holding his gun in front of him.

Roy nodded and followed Sawyer down the looming staircase He felt his heart jump out of his chest, cautioning him to turn back, to let Lafleur handle this on his own. But he knew he couldn't. He loved her and, even if she didn't love him back, he would never abandon her.

* * *

"You know, you look kind of familiar."

Juliet looked up. Her captor was staring at her eyes with an odd expression on her face.

"Like someone I used to know," she continued, pressing her finger to her chin. "Someone…someone I used to love."

"Did you tie her up too?" Juliet asked, rubbing her wrists up and down the splintered wood on the back of her chair. "Did you beat _her_ up or am I just getting special treatment."

The woman turned to look at her and, in the moment, her red hair shone in the light, as if it were made of fire. It hurt Juliet's eyes to look at her, but her eyes were drawn to the woman's beauty. There was, indeed, something familiar about her.

"Why aren't you scared?"

"This isn't the first time I've been kidnapped," Juliet said, smirking. "And you're much less horrifying than my previous captor. He kept me for three years and you've only kept me for a few hours. He was evil; you're just insane."

"How dare you…" the woman seethed.

As she approached her, Juliet saw something in the corner of her eye. She quickly glanced to her left, and saw Roy and James inching down the steps behind the woman.

"Yeah," she said, taunting her, "You're crazy and vulnerable and weak. You were never going to kill either of us were you?"

The woman snarled, and knelt down to face Juliet.

"You _bitch! _You really_ want_ me to kill you, don't you?"

She raised her hand to slap her and Juliet didn't flinch. She only waited for her hand to connect violently with her cheek.

"Maria, don't!"

Her hand never reached Juliet's face. Instead she turned around to face Sawyer and Roy.

Sawyer glared at him. "You know this woman? I trusted you, you son of a—"

Roy held up a hand to silence her. "Do you know who she is?"

"I don't give a damn who she is," Maria seethed. She pulled Juliet's hair causing her to bit her lip. "She's not the one I'm after. "

"Then let her go!" said Sawyer, cocking his gun. "Or so help me, I'll make you wish you were dead."

"I'm already dead," she said, pulling a gun out of her pocket and pressing the cold metal against Juliet's temple. "You've destroyed everything I ever loved. Now I'm going to kill the one you love."

"I don't love her," Sawyer said, shaking his head. "She means nothing to me. Go ahead and kill her if you want."

"What are you—" Roy began to say.

"I don't believe you," Maria said with narrowed eyes. "I've been watching and listening to the two of you for months. I hide in the closet of her bedroom sometimes. Somedays, she wakes up screaming and you'll kiss her forehead."

She moved the gun to the center of Juliet's forehead as she spoke, gripping her shoulder with one hand.

"You care about her," she mocked him, smiling cruelly. "She makes you happy, doesn't she? You're not alone anymore, not miserable anymore."

"Look," said Sawyer, feeling quite disturbed. "I don't know who the hell you are. I don't know how you know me, but whoever you think I am, I'm not him."

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, now pointing the gun at him. "I know who you are. You killed my husband. You are a murderer."

There was a short silence in which the two of them just stared at each other. Then, Sawyer shook his head, smiling.

"I did no such thing."

"You're a filthy liar," Maria said, pressing the gun to Juliet's temple once again, much harder than the first time. "I saw you. I followed my husband to the clearing. I was supposed to keep watch while he captured that woman. You and this bitch appeared out of nowhere and you …you shot my husband."

_My people need some kind of justice. What are you going to do about that?_

It seemed like such a long time ago that he'd sat with Richard on that bench explaining the deaths of his people. Self-defense, he'd called it. He never even thought that those people they'd killed had a family back home. To him, they were just the same others that had captured and murdered them.

"Have you ever been in love, James?" Maria whispered. "Have you ever loved someone so much that you'd do anything for them? I feel that way about my husband. I love him and I'm going to avenge him."

"Maria," said Roy, inching closer to her. "I know you're hurt and I can't possibly understand how you feel, but this woman you're trying to kill. She's—"

"I don't care who the fuck she is!" she exclaimed. Her blue eyes looked wild as she looked at him. "Can't you see? I've lost everything. I've been planning this for months. Do you think I would have seduced that brute of a security guard if I was just going to change my mind! You… you took my sister away from me! What makes you think I'm going to listen to you?"

"She's Erica's daughter!" he shouted, placing his gun on the ground. "Do you really want to kill one of your own?"

Juliet's eyes widened and she looked up at Roy then back to Maria. She wondered what on earth her mother had to do with all of this. She was years in the future, away from all of this. How did both of these people know her?

"You expect me to believe that this woman is Erica's daughter?" Maria laughed aridly. "I wasn't born yesterday. The child was but a baby when she left. She can't already be a full-grown woman. It's impossible."

"Look into her eyes," said Roy. "They're your eyes. They're _her _eyes."

Maria looked into Juliet's eyes, making the latter feel a little uncomfortable. She wondered what was going on in Roy's mind and how he knew her mother. She would ask him if they got out of this situation alive.

"Erica," she whispered. She held Juliet's face, the cold metal of her gun caressing her cheek. "You're Erica's child… you're my niece."

Juliet wanted to scream, wanted to tell her to get her hands off of her. She couldn't be related to this woman. She was deranged. Roy was bluffing and was surprisingly good at it.

"What have I done to you?" she whispered, wiping some of the blood off of Juliet's cheek. "I knew you looked familiar. You look just like her. Just as strong, just as beautiful… just as foolish."

She stood up and pointed her gun at Sawyer once more. "I will not harm her. She is family. I'll take her back to the camp… right after I kill you."

"You've lost your bargaining chip, Bonnie," he said, "Now that I know she's safe, there's nothing holding me back. Should have played your cards bet—"

She quickly pulled a gun out of her pocket and shot him in the hand. He dropped his gun and fell to the floor, gripping his hand in pain.

"JAMES!"

"Don't worry," Maria said, reassuringly to her. "It's not a real bullet I've only paralyzed his hands. He's not worthy of you; he's a murderer and murderer's deserve to be punished."

She aimed her real gun at his forehead. "So long. I hope you burn in hell, you miserable son of a—uuugh!"

Juliet, who had finally managed to break out of her ropes, landed a swift kick to Maria's head. Her captor fell to the ground, the gun clattering across the floor.

"James," she said, stepping over Maria's body and kneeling down to wrap her arms around his shoulders. "James… I really thought I'd never see you again. I should have known you'd be stupid enough to try and rescue me."

"I'm sure you say that to all your saviors," he retorted, his voice gruff. He wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her closer so his head was buried in her shoulder. "I thought you were already dead. _I _shoulda known you're too stubborn to die, and too strong to need savin'."

"Ahem."

Juliet released Sawyer, feeling a little embarrassed at her sudden display of emotion. Sawyer didn't seem to care. He still held her loosely in his arms, as if she would disappear if he let her stray.

"Thank you, Roy," Juliet said, smiling at him. "That was some mighty quick thinking there. How did you come up with such a story? How did you know my mother's name?"

"It wasn't a story, Juliet," he said, his smile falling suddenly. "That woman… she's your aunt. Lafleur shot your uncle."

"Did you really have to mention that?" said Sawyer, who sounded annoyed. "If you think that's going to win you some points—"

"Juliet, you were born on this Island," Roy said, cutting him off. "The hostiles are _your_ people. This is your home and time has brought you here."

Juliet shook her head, "That doesn't make any sense. I was born in Miami. I've lived there all my life. I don't remember this place at all."

"You were a baby," he said, smiling softly as he reminisced. "I helped your mother hide from the others. I helped take care of you and her sister. You lived in this very basement. You loved it when I sang "Downtown". I always felt silly, but it alwys made you stop crying and fall asleep so it didn't matter anymore."

"This is so bizarre," Juliet said, holding her head in her hands. "I need time to comprehend this—"

"Lafleur! LOOK OUT!"

Roy jumped in front of the two of them. The sound of a gunshot pierced the air. Then silence.

Juliet looked down at the blood that stained her nightgown. Her hands began to shake as her eyes traveled downward to the body that had handed in her lap.

"Roy," she pleaded, her voice shaky. "Roy, are you alright? That's my blood, isn't it? Please tell me it's mine."

He stared up at her, his green eyes a bit glassy. His hand covered his chest, where he'd been shot.

"It ain't your blood, Juliet," Sawyer said, placing a hand on her shoulder in reassurance.

She shrugged it off.

"Roy…" she was pleading, but there were no tears falling down her cheeks. She was in shock. "You're okay. You're fine."

"Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city," he started. "Sing with me."

"Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty," she sang, her voice cracking. "How can you lose?"

"The lights are much brighter there. " He lifted a hand to touch her cheek. "You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares."

"And go Downtown, things will be great when you're down town, no finer place for sure, downtown," his hand fell to the ground, lifeless. She continued, in a whisper, "Everyone's waiting for you."

She sat there for a while, holding his body in her hands in complete disbelief. Maria stood over them, her face looking equally shocked.

"Take me in," she said to Sawyer, suddenly. She looked at Juliet sadly. "I…I think I've caused enough suffering."

"I've got to take care of her first," he said, shaking his head. "I don't care what you do, you can turn yourself in. I know I killed your husband, and I'm sorry for causing you pain. But for what you've done to Juliet, I'll never forgive you. If I ever see you come near her again, I'll kill you."

She walked over to her and pulled Roy's body out of her hands.

"I'm going to go bury him," she said, looking at Sawyer. "I'm turning myself in, but I can't promise I won't come see her again. She needs to know her family and I will be the one to show her when she's ready.

"The hell you won't!" Sawyer shouted at her. "Just get the hell out of here. I don't want to ever see your face again."

"Likewise," Maria agreed. She turned to face Juliet, who was still looking at her hands as though she were holding a body. "You will come see me when you're ready. You will see me of your own free will and I will be waiting for you."

"I will never forgive you for this," Juliet said, glaring at her. "I never want to see you again."

"But you will," she said cryptically, before ascending the stairs, disappearing from view.

"Juliet…" He walked towards her, holding out a hand.

She didn't take it. Instead, she walked right past him and up the stairs without saying a word.

* * *

"How did I manage to miss all that action," Miles said, after listening to Sawyer's story. "That Maria sounds hot."

"Did you hear what I said?" Sawyer felt himself getting angry at his friend for being so insensitive. "Roy is dead. He saved my life. Maria _killed _him."

"Yeah, and?" Miles shrugged. "I hear dead people all the time. I'm a little desensitized. I can't help it. He's been shouting nonsense to me about Juliet and her family for hours."

The anger was gone as quickly as it had come. Sometimes Sawyer forgot that Miles could hear the dead because he was so nonchalant about it.

"Don't tell Juliet," Sawyer told him urgently. "She'll go traipsing into the jungle and do something reckless."

"She's been doing that for years and you've been doing that for months," Miles quipped. "I'm not going to tell her, but she's not a child, Jim. The truth has an awful way of coming out."

Sawyer rolled his eyes. He did not need advice from his sarcastic equivalent.

"Where is Juliet, have you seen her?"

Sawyer sighed. "I haven't. I've been lookin' all day. I hope she hasn't gone and done something stupid."

"Give her some credit," Miles said, shaking his head. "Aside from being pretty attractive, she's smart. She's not you."

"Thanks for the moral support," he said sardonically. "What would I ever do without you?"

Miles got up and patted Sawyer's shoulder. "You would be really bored."

"See you tomorrow, Miles," said Sawyer, chuckling.

"You too, Jim."

He closed the door behind him. In the silence of Juliet's living room, he let his walls break down. His fingers started drumming against the table nervously as he looked at the silver clock on the side table. It read 11:00.

This was ridiculous. He wasn't her father. She had the right to do whatever the hell she wanted. She was a grown woman.

However, he still worried for her, wondered if she okay, if she'd been attacked or if she had done something reckless. If anything, they were friends. He had a right to worry about his friends. Especially the ones he had sort-of-feelings-for.

The door swung open and Juliet stumbled in, holding the walls around her for support.

"Juliet," Sawyer said, standing up and walking toward her. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Drinking," she replied honestly. "And drinking, and drinking…"

She fell into him, leaning on his body for support.

"I got to get you to bed," he said, hoisting her arm over his shoulder and leading her to her room.

"Mmmm," was all she said.

He knelt down and began removing each of her shoes and her socks, placing them at the foot of her bed. He knew she was particular about that.

He sat down next to her and pulled back the covered, prepared to out her under them, but Juliet wasn't having it.

"Have I-have-I…" a hiccup, "ever told you just how handsome you are?"

"No," said Sawyer smirking. "I thought you would never tell me that. I can't believe those words are coming out your mouth, Julie—"

She pulled his head down to hers and his lips crashed against her own. Her tongue slipped through his lips expertly, as she buried her hands in his hair.

If someone had told him Juliet Burke could kiss like this, hell, he would have kissed her a long time ago. She disarmed him with her innocence sometimes and with her coldness other times. The warmth of her lips, her body, her fingers—it was overwhelming, surprising, _sexy_.

His hands removed her shirt on their own. He had done this so many times, he didn't even think about it anymore. It was different somehow, it was more exciting because he had liked her, _wanted_ her for a while and had not had the immediate gratification he was used to.

Her fingers unbuttoned his shirt too, her lips never leaving his, her hands never wavering. She was no novice either.

His hands caressed the curve of her sides and his fingers hooked behind the back of her bra, preparing to unhook it in one swift movement.

He felt salt on his lips for the second time that day and he pulled away, lifting her chin with his finger.

"Aw, shit, Juliet," he said, astonished. "You're crying."

She kissed him again, this time more desperately, less confidant. He pulled away again and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"You're crying," he said again, this time his voice was firm. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

She wiped away her tears furiously with her arm. For the first time since he'd met her, she looked small, almost frightened, as if some one had stolen all of her confidence. He found it refreshing to know that her shell was capable of breaking, yet he knew he never wanted to see her like this again.

He sighed and pressed his back against the headboard. "Come here."

She crawled over, sitting next to him. He shook his head and pulled her over so she was laying against him, her head pressed against his chest.

"My father used to do this," she said, listening to his heart beating in his chest.

"Well, I ain't your daddy," he said chuckling.

"James," she said after a pregnant pause, "Remember that Billy Joel song about dying young?"

"You know that song is about having sex, not dying, right?"

"Don't ruin that song for me," she said. "You already ruined "Little Red Corvette"."

"That one was obvious," he said chuckling. "I knew what that meant when I was eight."

"You were a perverse child," she said, simply. "Back to Billy Joel. Why do good, innocent people die at a young age?"

"That ain't true Blondie," he said, running his hand down her hair. "If it were true, you'd be gone a long time ago, and you and I would never have met."

"But I'm not good," she said, her voice taking a sleepy lilt. "I'm a bad person."

"I don't believe it," he said, pressing his chin against the crown of her head. "Roy didn't believe it either. He…he loved you, Juliet. Even if you don't think you have any good left in you. He saw the good in you, _I _see the good in you. It makes me sick to see you this way and he's probably rolling in his grave as you're talkin' like this."

"When did you get so good at this?" she asked, looking up at him. "I always thought you'd be crap at giving pep talks."

He raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Simon."

"I knew you watched that show!"

"Don't act like you didn't."

"I'm not the one who vehemently denies it when asked."

"I never make fun of you for being a dork, and watching Star Trek."

She smiled. "That's because you watched it too. I was more of a Star Wars fan myself. Dressed up like Leia for Halloween."

"Ooo, Kinky."

"I was eight." She giggled. "It wasn't the outfit you're thinking of. I could never pull that off."

"You can now," he said, eyeing her half-naked body suggestively.

"That movie doesn't come out until 1983."

"Damn. I'll think of something before Halloween rolls around. Maybe you can be a nudist."

"Hardy, har."

Juliet closed her eyes, listening to the steady beat of his heart again, the rhythm lolling her to sleep.

"Blondie?"

Silence.

"You really scared me today." He began to stroke her hair again. "I thought you were dead. I thought I was scared because I didn't want to be alone. It wasn't that. I was afraid I'd never get to do this again. Talk to you about… Star Wars and kinky Halloween outfits. I'd never get the chance… to give this thing a shot. "

He sighed again. "I ain't got the courage to ask you out. Not yet. But I know I want to even though the thought scares the hell out of me. That I might hurt you, that I'm not good enough for you. I ain't got the best track record, but I think… I think I'll do right by you, Juliet. I just need time."

"We've got time," she said before drifting off to sleep.

As he held her tighter, he hoped to God that she was right.

* * *

Sorry this took AGES. School is really hard and I've got a lot happening. I'll try to update when I can, but I'm not going to force it. I'll write when I can. I'm actually thinking of making this 60 or 75 chapters instead of 100 because it's going to take me ages to finish. I want this to be long but not THAT long. I had that limit when my chapters were 1,000 words on average. Now they are about 4,000-6,000 words, so that limit is unreasonable.

The inspiration for this chapter comes from Elton John's song "Sacrifice." I love that song !!!!

Anyways, let me know what you think, and sorry again for the long wait!

Miki-hime


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